Weapons Of Choice
by notmanos
Summary: Logan sets out to complete a mission of revenge started twelve years earlier.
1. Part 1

Disclaimer:The character of Logan & all X Men is  owned by 20th Century Fox and Marvel Comics. No copyright infringement intended. Bob is still mine - hands off. 

N.B.: Takes place shortly after the "X Men" movie, and Blindside. 

    WEAPONS OF CHOICE 

    1 

    For some reason,when he heard someone had left a message for him,Logan got a bad feeling about it. 

He knew it was stupid the second he thought that.It was probably Bob,just being an ass.Or,at worst,Srina being an ass. 

Xavier was out,so Logan simply walked into his office,still toweling off his hair from his morning shower,and hit play on the Professor's machine.The sun seemed too damn bright this morning-except it was technically afternoon,wasn't it?Oh,whatever;he was out late last night.It seemed like morning to him. 

Of course,Xavier couldn't have a standard answering machine;this one had some sort of built in caller i.d. on a small LCD screen, and when the number was unknown,it displayed the calling area.And that's what got Logan's attention first-the small LCD readout saying 'Caller unknown-Alberta,Canada'. 

"Logan?"A woman's voice said,quiet,tentative.She was whispering,and in the background he heard a hiss-either wind,snow,or both."I hope this is you.I didn't know,but I thought maybe...if it is you,I've found them.Eden.On the edge of  the Northwest Territories, north of Caribou.You'll know it when you see it.I'm,um,just past where the Wolverine-"she let out a slight chuckle. "-meets the Peace.I'll hang around for a day-I'm going the Meander route,one seventeen-but then I'm on my way.If this is you,I hope you can come.I may be Samson,but I know I'll need your help.Please,Logan,come if you can."She then hung up the phone,and the message ended,leaving him staring baffled at the machine. 

What the fuck was that about?Eden?Caribou?Samson?It was like bad code. 

Except the way she said "Please,Logan," sent a cold shock through his heart.He did know that voice,didn't he?It was slightly different,but still familiar... 

And Caribou was a mountain group in the extreme northwest of Alberta.Wolverine,Peace,and the Meander were all rivers by that way too.It was a code-she was trying to give him a location without being too obvious about it,in case anyone was eavesdropping.But one seventeen?There was no route one seventeen up there... 

Longitude? 

He remembered it all in a rush.That was Alex's voice,deeper by twelve years.Eden,Samson,Elena.Now it made sense. 

How had Alex found him?He supposed he could ask her himself when he got there. 

One of his few 'old' memories,the anger came back as if the whole incident was a fresh,raw wound.After all this time,they were still in business?At least Alex had survived;that was something.But how could she not?She was built to do it. 

And she hadn't given up on finding the ones responsible for it. 

He felt almost embarrassed for not thinking about her and Elena,not since then...although Rogue had reminded him of Alex in certain ways,hadn't she?He supposed she had,although it had only occurred to him in retrospect. 

He was about to leave,cold rage infusing him and filling him with adrenaline,when he realized if Eden was fully staffed,he and Alex might need a little help in bringing it down.Especially if there were Samsons working for them. 

After quietly questioning his own sanity,he picked up the phone,and punched in Bob's number. 

He didn't even know if he was back yet.It had been almost two weeks since they last spoke,when he teleported him here and took off to supposedly help Ganesha,and frankly he didn't care if he was back or not,he was just glad he wasn't popping in on him in the shower or interrupting him when he was trying to  chat up a woman in a bar. 

The phone rang four times,then a machine kicked in.It sounded like the music from "Shaft" was playing in the background,as Bob said:"Hello,this is Maximum Bob.I'm not here right now,or I'm simply blowing off your call.If I want to talk to you,I'll get back to you as soon as I can,possibly even before you call if I can ride a kink in the space-time continuum.Leave your name and dimension at the sound of the horn."Logan had just enough time to ponder the use of the word horn (wasn't it supposed to be beep?) before holding the receiver away from his ear.A millisecond later,a very loud air horn sounded. 

Man,he was such an asshole sometimes. 

"Bob,it's Logan.Helga,if you get this before he does,I could probably use your help instead,either way.I need some high yield explosives and possibly some large bore,portable weaponry,rocket launchers and the like.I'm headed up to Alberta,somewhere along the Northwestern longitude of one seventeen,past the Caribou Mountains,short of  the N.T.It's not the Organization,but a ...rival,I guess you could say,a splinter group.Just as bad.If you don't get this message within twenty four hours,forget it."He then hung up,wondering if he made a mistake. 

Well,shit-this whole thing was a mistake.Getting involved with Alex and Elena had been one big fat mistake.One thing he was consistently good at was fucking up.But he was also good at fixing things after,usually permanently. 

He searched the Professor's achingly neat desk until he found a pen and a notepad,and quickly jotted a note.He knew he should probably inform the others,get the so called 'X Men' in on this,but no.They'd probably want to be humane about shutting this operation down,not wanting any blood on their hands- 

(-blood on the snow,black in the moonlight.,the smell cloying in his nostrils,metallic and sour,and the scent of death,cordite and shit,burned skin and hair-) 

-not understanding that too much blood had already been spilled over this.There could no longer be any talking.Now was the time for action.The type of action that seemed to make their skin crawl. 

The note he wrote for Chuck and the others,in hopes they wouldn't follow,was direct and to the point :'Gone to see an old friend in Canada.Back in a couple of days.Logan.' 

The funniest thing was the note was completely truthful.He hadn't even had to lie.And as much as he was trying to live with this situation,he knew it would be nice to get out of here...and do what he did best. 

What was the old cliche?Revenge was a dish best served cold? 

He supposed the people in Eden were about to discover that for themselves. 

2 

Miller's Crossing,Alberta,Canada-February,1990 

    Logan glanced at the clock over the bar,to the right of the blaring television,and wondered if they had cleared the pass yet. 

This place was so crowded with people,collective body heat was keeping it warm,and the odd mix of people was adding a certain edginess to the atmosphere he never liked,although it had yet to reach powder keg intensity. 

A late season blizzard had closed down Jackson's Pass,the only way out of here,and while the road crews worked on it,everyone was stranded on this side of the mountain.So this trucker's rest stop,that also catered to the adventurous (and slumming) skiers and climbers during their peak seasons,was full of an odd bunch of people who would never mix under any other circumstances: long hauler truckers;blue and white collar workers who commuted from one side of the pass to the other;a bus full of people who had been on their way to British Columbia;a group of military men who claimed to have just come back from Yellowknife (they were so wasted he could hear their voices loud and clear,even over the combined din of all the crowd,the t.v. and the jukebox);a carful of college kids who seemed thrilled by the diversion of cheap (but watered) beer;various employees from the surrounding ski lodges and the service workers who staffed them;skiers unable to reach their lodges;and the nomads, the people who were always on their way somewhere else,with no  fixed destination.They were the shadiest lot of them all. 

And he should know,because he was one of them. 

Earlier,he had made some easy money in an even shadier dive than this,fighting hard muscled loggers and beer soaked macho assholes in illegal bare knuckle boxing matches,at least until he ran out of opponents.The owner even gave him extra money above the night's take just so he'd get the fuck out and never come back again.He was "scaring off" the others. 

He was hoping to go to B.C.,or maybe push on to the Yukon (the pipeline workers always needed to burn off steam,and getting the shit beat out of them was something these guys signed up for in droves),but the blizzard put a crimp in his plans.No big deal, though,as he was never in a particular hurry to go anywhere.He would have risked driving in the blizzard-like he was afraid of a crash-but the local transportation dorks had already set up roadblocks,and some sad sack cop was out there,visibly shivering in spite of his fur lined parka and the endless layers of clothes that made him look a hundred pounds heavier than he actually was, waving people off until the "road was safe".Logan had driven Jackson's Pass a few times,and knew for a fact it was only safe during the summer,and even then it was questionable.Winding,steep,and in an uneven state of repair due to the near constant freezes and spring thaw mudslides,it could have been an amusement park ride shut down for numerous safety violations.It was amazing people didn't die in droves on it.People did die on it every year,but people died yearly on every road you could name.Not enough people had died on Jackson's Pass to make it special. 

He didn't mind holing up in the truck stop at first,though.It was huge,a genuine truck stop:not just a diner.it was a bar,a restaurant,and a motel all rolled into one big warehouse like structure.It would be a place to  have a beer,play some pool,and maybe get laid,if he had the time for it. 

The funny thing was,he hadn't even known he could play pool up until two weeks ago,and as it turned out,not only could he play it,but he was very good at it.So far tonight he had made an extra seventy five bucks on games,and no one would play him anymore because they thought he was a pool shark.So he was stuck setting up shots and basically playing with himself (so to speak),killing time until he could get out of here.The beer was sub-par,and none of the women were very interesting,with the best looking one he had seen so far being a hooker who regularly worked the stop,which was sad (he had never had to pay for sex,and he wasn't about to start now.Of course,his 'never' only stretched back about two and a half years,which was as far back as his memories went,but he just assumed). 

After a couple of hours,a certain claustrophobia set in.He was tired of the smell of these people,the cigarette smoke,unwashed clothes,and body odor,their loud voices (especially the military shitheads,who were now going on about a hooker that three of them shared in Hong Kong and who  gave them all chlamydia),and especially the canned laughter of the crappy sitcom on the television.He was pretty sure he could throw the eight ball and put it right through the screen even from here,but he'd probably  
spark a riot.Karl Marx was wrong-television was not the opiate of the masses.It was the anesthesia,the numbing agent,designed only to lull into unconsciousness.Opiate indicated far too much pleasure than one could expect to wean out from the boob tube.  
Not that he was a snob.It's just canned laughter drove him fucking nuts. 

Finally a rotund cop,whose face was ruddy from the cold,came in,stomping the snow from his boots in the doorway and letting in a truly arctic blast,as he announced,"The pass has been temporarily cleared,but it can't handle a rush.So,right now,we can only allow people who need to get over the mountain right this minute." 

There was an outcry from the horde,and he held up his hands and shouted,"People,please!You'll all be allowed to leave!We need to be sensible about this!" 

Logan snorted humorously to himself,as people began to argue,bargain,and otherwise badger the cop.Be sensible?He might as well have asked a hippo to fly. 

Logan put his cue back in the rack (he didn't see the point in buying his own pool cue-what a waste of money),and started to make his way through the crowd.They would let him go,mainly because there was a group consensus to get him the fuck out of here ASAP. 

He passed by a table where two muscular guys with matching stocking caps pulled over their big ugly heads sat bookending a young mulatto  girl-twelve or thirteen-who sat ramrod straight with fear he could smell even meters away.He glanced towards them,and as soon as her golden brown eyes caught his,he could see what had to be a pleading message for help.He had no idea what was going on,but he honestly didn't care-not his problem.He had more than enough on his own. 

But just as he walked past,he heard her shout "Mister,help me!" loud enough to make him wince. 

And the worst part was,he had heard it in his head. 

He didn't look-he bet the men didn't know,so he just went on,thinking,'Look,kid-' 

But she didn't hear,or didn't care."These guys kidnapped me!They say they'll kill my mom if I try and escape,they seem to know her-"she went on,way too loud. 

'Turn it the fuck down!'He thought in irritation. 

But she didn't seem to hear him."-they keep saying I'm a project.I don't know what they mean but I think it's bad.They want to hurt me.I know you're a mutant too,so-' 

'Fuck you!How do you know I'm a mutant?'She was pissing him off.He elbowed through the crowd,although most seemed to sense his growing irritation and got out of his way first.They seemed to pick up on his 'don't fuck with me' vibe-sometimes people could be more perceptive than they thought. 

"-mister please don't go!"She sent,her shouting thoughts becoming even more panicky."At least call my mom,make sure she's still alive-" 

"Logger?"The policeman repeated,for the second time.Logan could barely hear for all the shouting in his head. 

"Yeah,"he said,almost shouting himself.At least the extra irritation gave him a certain validity."I'm due in Vancouver in two hours." 

Most people assumed,from his plaid flannel shirts,facial hair,and muscular build,that he was a logger,and he was happy to play that role if they wanted.Hell,he could cut down a tree now,and he didn't need an ax or a saw.If they spied his dog tags,they assumed he was ex-military (he couldn't be current with his unregulation hair),and that was a role he could play too.When you didn't know who you were or what you were running from or searching for,you learned quickly how to play the game,let other people's assumptions of you steer you to the guise you adopted.It was never quite fitting in,but it was skimming along the surface. And most people and social situations were so shallow,skimming was more than good enough to  get by. 

The cop jerked his head back to the parking lot that was now technically a skating rink,and moved slightly aside to let Logan slip through,as others argued with him about needing to be out of here now,and the shouting telepath fell into complete silence. 

He slogged through the ankle deep snow,the layer of ice that had existed before the fall crunching under his weight,and he breathed in deep,the air clean and sharp and carrying few traces of humanity.It seemed like heaven.Even the frigid air biting into  exposed skin like pieces of shrapnel seemed more bracing than uncomfortable. 

It was after he had dug the keys to his truck out of his pocket that he paused,and realized a couple of things. 

One:For all her noise,that girl was no telepath.She had no volume control because she was like a deaf person shouting across a crowded room-she couldn't hear herself,or others responses to her.That's why no reactions to his thoughts,and why she kept calling him 'mister'.Wouldn't a real telepath be able to glean his name? 

(How did he know any of this?) 

Two:Something she had 'said' set off alarm bells and made his skin crawl.Project. 

("You're our greatest project,Logan...") 

Those chunkheads beside her certainly looked military,didn't they? 

(How the hell did she know he was a mutant if she couldn't really read his mind?Had the goons recognized him and told her he was?) 

Logan put his keys back in his pocket,and lurked in the thick shadows surrounding the stop,eyes glued to the front door,hands clenched into his fists at his side.If he was right,they'd be coming out soon. 

And he had some questions he wanted to ask them. 

It sounded like the cop was getting things under control with the help of the burly bartender,and fewer people trickled out now.  
Several truckers had started their trucks,leaving blue clouds of diesel smoke in their wake as they drove off,down towards the pass,and after the beer truck had driven off,Logan spotted what had to be the G.I. Joe car.It looked liked just a big utility vehicle... but how many of them were armored? 

He wondered if they had friends,either in the truck or in separate surrounding (and less conspicuous) cars,and began to sniff the air,eyes scouring the large,heavily shadowed lot,when the quasi-telepathic girl and her lunkhead companions finally came out of the truck stop. 

He stalked them in the shadows,and if the girl knew he was there,he heard nothing from her (if she was a good telepath at all, couldn't she have made these guys run off?).Before they could come around the edge of the parking lot and get within view of their armored truck,he grabbed the nearest one by the back of the head and slammed him face first into the wall,hard enough to reduce his face to pulp.That had to hurt. 

Now realizing he was there,the second soldier spun,pulling out a weapon,but Logan actually didn't see what it was before springing his claws and slicing it out of his hand,also taking off part of a finger."Fuck,mutant!"Soldier boy shouted,as Logan rammed a flattened palm into his face and sent him flying. 

He'd held the hit just enough that the guy was not unconscious,not yet,just thoroughly dazed.And even though blood was now pouring from the remains of his index finger on his right hand,the cut had been so clean he hadn't noticed yet. 

"Thank you,mister,"the girl said effusively."I didn't know if-" 

But he ignored her,walking over to the dazed soldier boy and hauling him roughly to his feet by the collar of his shirt.He threw him hard enough against the nearest truck to dent its door panel,and held him up by his throat,so he could snarl right into his face."Who do you work for,boy?"He had seemed surprised he was a mutant,so the soldiers hadn't recognized him and told the girl.So how did she know? 

The soldier stared at him through half lidded,glazed blue eyes,blood pouring from his nose,and he said something that sounded like,"Eden-" 

But Logan missed the rest,because that's when the shooting started. 

They did have friends after all.He should have known-lots of scavengers traveled in packs. 

The first bullets hit him like stones,more pressure than true pain,but then one lucky shot passed through his throat,missing his protective bones completely. 

He gagged on his own blood,struggling to breathe as he whirled around to take on the gunmen,popping the claws from his hands,and then something hit him in the back of the head-it felt like a cannonball,and he hit the snow face first. 

He pushed himself up,ignoring the black spots pulsing in his vision and the feeling that all the warmth he had was spilling out of his body (he could feel the throat wound closing,but it was large and it was slow going),and then there was a sharp pain in his hand as someone stabbed a large titanium bladed hunting knife straight through it,nailing it to the ground.Before he could react, someone else jammed a knife through his other hand. 

"What kinda fuckin' freak are you?"One of several men surrounding him asked,as he kicked Logan in the face with a steel toed boot. 

He felt his lip split,and instantly close itself.When he tried to pull his hands up-knives and all (it was only pain-he had had worse)-a soldier on either side of him stepped on the hilts of the knives,driving them deeper and holding them down. 

For the moment.They were gonna have to do better than this to keep him down permanently. 

"Stop it!"The girl shouted."Don't hurt him!"He looked up,past the legs of the soldiers,in time to see one of them give the girl a vicious backhand across the face that sent her falling to the snow. 

"Hey,big man,hit your own fuckin' kids!"Logan spat,earning another kick in the face,this time from three different sides.It was worth it for turning the attention back to him. 

"Think he's worth something?"One of the soldiers-the one standing on the knife impaling his left hand-asked the others.He smell/heard six in all,not counting the unconscious one by the wall (but counting the asshole with the severed finger and broken nose). 

One behind him chuckled."Yeah,maybe if we part him out." 

Logan sensed him close behind him,so he lashed out with his foot in a donkey kick that caught the smart mouthed bastard in the leg.He heard the crack of bone like a branch too heavy with snow,and the man screamed like a woman."My leg!"He shrilled. "Fucking mutie broke my leg!" 

He got a gun butt in the back of the skull for that,but while it made him see stars for a moment,he took some satisfaction from the fact that the man's weapon shattered like glass against his head."Holy fuck!"The hitter exclaimed."What is he,made o' metal?!" 

"Yeah,and I'm gonna kill every last one of ya,"Logan growled.That got him another boot to the head,and this one hurt,because it got his ear.Goddamn it. 

"Okay,metal man,"another soldier said.He had the smug tone only leadership could inspire."What's your name?" 

Logan glared up at the figure,which was just another man in a black wool uniform.Must have been itching like hell."Blow me." 

The man squatted down in front of him,letting him see his craggy face,so pale it seemed as luminous as the moon that was now hidden behind cotton thick clouds."Okay,Mister Me,precisely why do you think you have a chance against us?You're an ugly mutant fuck who should have left well enough alone." 

Logan smirked at him."What?You think you're gonna kill me?" 

The soldier pulled out a machine pistol,and placed the end of the barrel point blank between Logan's eyes."No,you sorry sack of  shit-I know I'm gonna kill you.Kiss your ass goodbye,freak." 

Logan couldn't help but chuckle.The bullet would bounce off his adamantium laced skull and ricochet right back into this guy's face.If he had more than a double digit I.Q.,maybe he'd have figured that out. 

There was the sound of a gunshot,but the soldier's head exploded,splattering gore all over him before the rest of his body hit the ground. 

The other soldiers turned,and there was more gunfire,and as the bodies hit the ground Logan yanked his right hand up,ripping the knife out of the ground. 

He'd have been lying to say it didn't hurt.Jesus fucking Christ it hurt-he had a goddamned knife in his hand.But as soon as it was freed from the ground,he grabbed the knife hilt with his teeth and yanked the blade out.An entirely new,fun pain,but at least now his hand could heal properly;it had started to heal around the blade itself. 

And by this time,the shooting was all over. 

Sitting up on his knees,left hand still impaled to the ground,he saw his so called 'savior'-a cop. 

But there were several things wrong with her,starting with the fact that the police jacket she was wearing over her flak jacket was dark blue.In other words,American. 

"You're on the wrong side of the border,"he pointed out. 

She holstered her guns-she had two,Glocks that were absolutely not standard issue for any cop he was familiar with-and the girl threw herself at her,hugging her fiercely."Mom,you're alive." 

Okay,now this had gotten really interesting. 

The woman patted her daughter's back absent mindedly,as she continued to stare at him in horror."You poor man-"she started.  
She gasped as he reached over,grabbed the hilt of the other knife with his still healing right hand,and yanked the other blade out of his left hand."I ain't poor,"he said,examining the knife.Although it was titanium,it looked like the kind of hunting knife you could pick up in any sporting goods store.Damn it.He'd been hoping for a clue. 

He tossed it aside,figuring someone could find it during the spring thaw and consider themselves lucky. 

The woman didn't really look much like a cop.She had a round face,one you could almost call warm,but it was becoming gaunt, forcing her cheekbones to the surface of parchment thin,pale skin.It made her blue eyes seem too large for her face,and although it looked like she had shoved most of her hair under her police hat,a few strands of brownish-blonde hair hung limply down around her ears.There was no physical resemblance at all to her striking,darker daughter,but that was no shock-with mutants,it was a real mixed bag. 

"Are-are you all right?"She stammered,still in shock.Considering she had just gunned down six soldiers,why did him pulling knives out of his hands surprise her?(Maybe she had seen the wounds start to close up.) 

"I'm fuckin' peachy,"he snapped,getting to his feet.The wounds may have been closing,but his hands still hurt.The throat wound must have closed,because he hardly felt it anymore.A slight wave of dizziness hit him as soon as he stood (blood loss?),but he rode it out,and it faded quickly. 

"I suggest you get out here,"he advised her,kicking the body of the fallen soldier closest to him."They probably got more friends on the way."He spat blood down on the headless guy who had threatened to shoot him,and grumbled,"You could have saved me one." 

"You're a mutant,"she said,as if that was some big surprise. 

"No shit.And you ain't no fucking cop." 

She appeared surprised that he knew.After a moment,she only said,"We all have things to hide." 

Logan thought he heard something odd,and cocked his head,striving to hear over the howl of the rising wind and the rumbles of the big diesel engines on the road.She must have noticed the look on his face,as she glanced around,moving one hand to the butt of her gun."What is it?" 

"The roadblock must have made them call their buddies in.I hear a chopper." 

"In this weather?"She exclaimed,looking up into the dark,cloud polluted sky.She couldn't hear it,of course,as she didn't have his hearing,but even he couldn't see it with this cloud cover.It'd have to get low enough to spot them first.She then looked him dead in the eye."How do you know?" 

"I hear good,"he admitted,then asked,"Who did these fucks work for?" 

She looked slightly distressed by his easy dismissal of a soon to be arriving chopper,but replied,"A secret military-industrial complex.It's a really long story." 

Could it have been this easy?Could fate be so sickly ironic?Had the answers he had been looking for coincidentally crossed paths with him at a snowed in truck stop? 

He knew he might regret it-no,he was sure he would-but he had to know what this woman would tell him. 

She was one of them,wasn't she?Or she used to be-she'd just gunned down six soldiers.That was a weapons proficiency that was rare for the untrained."Get in my truck,"he said,turning and heading back for it."I'll get you over the pass." 

"What?"He didn't turn around,but he could hear her footsteps in the snow as she she followed."Why?I don't understand.Why help us?" 

"Why not?"He answered,not ready to tell her just yet."Now get in the back before I change my mind." 

She no longer questioned him.As he got in the front cab of his truck,she and her mutant daughter got in the back of his trailer. 

The girl,looking around the small camper he usually called home,said,with some disdain,"Do you really live like this?" 

He gave her an evil glare in the rearview mirror,but the woman shushed her,and whispered (low,but not so low Logan couldn't hear it:),"Be good,Alex.He's helping us,and remember what I told you about how hard it is to be a mutant in this world?" 

He scowled,not happy with the patronization,and wondered if there were a lot of bleeding heart liberals among the fascist pigs. 

The truck started with a cough he was able to coax into a roar,and they were out of the lot and on the pass before the helicopter broke through the cloud layer. 

3 

Canada-Present Day 

    Getting over the border had not been difficult.It never was.He knew all the porous areas,the holes in the net where illegal aliens and criminals determined to sneak into or out of the U.S. could slip through without muss or fuss. 

He'd been on the road for hours,leaving the sun behind,the sky fading out from blue to black,but he was in Alberta before the moon rose over him.This was one hell of a bike. 

He went from being doused by a sudden squall to being frozen by an abnormally cold north wind,but by the time he pulled the bike over at a bar,he was mostly dry,and any ice that might have formed had fallen off.Logan had needed to stretch his legs before they got permanently stuck in position,and he was starving;he hadn't eaten before he left the mansion. 

The bar was nothing special,just another dive (although it seemed to have upscale pretensions),and in an odd stab at colonialism it offered shepherd's pie among the meager food on its menu.It wasn't bad,though,and seemed to go well with the dark,heavy ale he ordered with it. 

He sat at a back booth,all by himself,eating and staring at nothing,except two guys playing pool badly at the table in the far corner. If he had the time,he knew he could lighten the wallets of both of them in a 'friendly' game,but he didn't have the time. 

There was a t.v. over the bar,showing a hockey game,and some drunk was holding court at the end of the bar about how Wayne Gretzky sold out Canada by going to the New York Rangers. 

And Logan thought he lived in the past. 

He was mentally debating whether or not to order another beer before getting back on the road (he could shotgun it),but when he went up to the bar,something next to the till caught his eye."Done,sweetheart?"The female bartender asked him.This place wasn't so redneck:the woman had a very punky,spiky cut,and her hair was dyed a rather corrosive color purple. 

"Is that an American phone book?"He asked,gesturing to the thick book beside the cash register. 

She glanced over her shoulder,as if to make sure."Sort of.It's for Alaska.The owners have cabins there,and we like to keep track of them." 

"Can I see it for a moment?" 

She shrugged,retrieved the phone book,and let it thud down to the bar before him."Knock yourself out." 

It was a long shot,he knew it,but he started looking through the pages,scanning all the names he knew she might use,and he told himself he was crazy for even looking.But maybe she had a cell phone number listed... 

And there she was.He'd almost missed it,but there she was,under her original name.A risky move,but maybe she honestly thought she had nothing left to lose.Or maybe she was daring them to come after her.What did she have to be afraid of?She was a weapon too. 

There was only what he assumed to be a home number,but he memorized it before heading back to the pay phones by the bathrooms.Only one was actually working,and it seemed like he had to put a slot machine's worth of change in the sucker to actually call the long distance number. 


	2. Part 2

It went through though,in spite of the hiss and crackle of static on the line,and after the third ring an answering machine clicked on.It was her voice,all right,slightly deeper but still familiar.And she gave a cell phone number for contacting her in an emergency. But she warned emergencies only,and if any telemarketers called her,she hunt them down and kick their ass.Probably no idle threat either. 

He hung up,whispering the cell number she gave over and over to himself until he deposited more change,and punched it in.It was possible she didn't have it on,or was out of range in the mountains somewhere,but then he heard a couple of tinny rings down what sounded like a metal pipe."Hello?"She said in a hurried whisper. 

"Alex?"He replied,instinctively pitching his voice lower."It's Logan.I'm on my way." 

There was a pause,through which he could hear the static crackle of interference,and then she said,"I knew you'd come,Logan. You've never let me down." 

"Sure I have,"he admitted quietly,resting his forehead against the graffiti carved on the wall. 

"No,Logan,you never did.Not once." 

She sounded like she meant it,and maybe she did.But he knew if he had not let her down,he had let himself down. 

Sadly,he had the sense that was not an entirely new feeling for him. 

*** 

Canada-1990 

    Once they got past the small barricade,where the cops and the road workers were slowing things down for "safety reasons" (he kept an eye out for any suspicious looking military guys-any of the cops could have been one in disguise),the woman climbed up into the front seat beside him. 

"I can't thank you enough,"she began,sounding tired.It was still cold enough in the truck that their breath was white clouds,and starting to steam up the windshield."Things have always been bad,but lately they've been getting worse.They've gone from being one step behind to one step ahead-" 

It was remarkable how little he cared."Who are 'they'?"He interrupted. 

She sighed,as if it wasn't something she really wanted to talk about."First things first.My name is Elena, and that's my daughter Alex.And you are..?" 

"Not interested.I want to know about these men.Who do they work for?" 

Out of the corner of his eye,he saw her study him curiously,and then her glance became a stare,and he looked down and saw why. 

His dog tags.They were hanging out of his shirt. 

He took a hand off the steering wheel long enough to put them back beneath his shirt,and she asked,"Are you working for them?" 

He snorted derisively."No.But you should know that since you used to work for them,shouldn't ya?" 

She did a slight double take,eyes widening.He was getting the vibe that she had been under the gun for a while;she was edgy,tense...and what was that smell?"I really wouldn't bother goin' for the gun.Bullets only piss me off." 

He turned his eyes back to the still icy,winding road before him,but kept her in the corner of his vision."It wouldn't be good to be without a driver now,either,"she admitted. 

"He tried to help me,Mom,"Alex said.She was still in the back,but now she was looking over the front seat.   
"He's not one of the bad guys." 

That made him snort."There's no such thing as good or bad,kid-only average and even worse.And to be completely honest,I wasn't tryin' to save you.I wanted those military bastards." 

"Aren't you mister tough guy,"Elena replied sarcastically."Why did you want the military guys?" 

"Answer my question first." 

She rolled her eyes."They worked for Eden Biotechnics,and could you please turn up the heat in here?It's like a meat locker."She sunk into her police jacket,visibly shivering in spite of all the layers she was wearing.Sure his truck had a rickety heater,but it wasn't that bad...exactly. 

"Who the hell are Eden Biotechnics?"He asked,as he reached out and turned up the heat,about as high as it could go.It always made a hissing noise,like he was losing hydraulic fluid,whenever he did that.He didn't know why,though;there were no hydraulics in the heater. 

Suddenly,she reached out and grabbed his hand.He quickly yanked it away (her fingers were ice cold,like the fingers of a corpse),and snapped,"Hey!Don't fuckin' touch me!" 

"You don't even have a scar,"she exclaimed,audibly shocked."My god.Super accelerated healing factor." 

He shot her an evil sidelong glance,but otherwise kept his eyes on the road."Yeah-so fucking what?" 

"He's also got claws,"Alex chimed in."Big silver knives that come out of his hands." 

"Whoa." 

"So what's your big ability,kid?"Logan sniped,uncomfortable with Elena's obvious scrutiny.He was not some freak to be paraded in front of her."If it's telepathy,you're screwed.And you shout." 

"Sorry." 

"You used your telepathy?"Elena asked. 

He saw Alex shrug in the rearview,somewhat embarrassed."I tried to.It's hard." 

Elena sighed,as if that was something Alex should have kept to herself."You and my daughter have a lot in common,I would suppose:she's nearly indestructible." 

"Healing factor?" 

"Not that I can tell." 

"Huh?" 

"My skin's like metal or something,"Alex offered,not at all ashamed to talk about it."I mean,it feels like skin,mostly,it's just that it can't be cut." 

"Or shot,or burnt,or otherwise injured,"Elena finished."It seems to help protect the rest of her as well." 

Logan glanced at Alex in the rearview mirror,taking a close look at her face.The more he studied,the more he saw the pores of her skin were so tiny they were almost microscopic.And even though she took a hard slug in the face,there was no sign of bruising,or even a bloody lip. 

He then remembered what she said about being a "project".So what was her mother? 

"Are you a mutant?"He wondered,glancing at Elena. 

She was still shivering,her lips so pale they were almost bloodless.He wondered then if it was just the cold she was reacting to."No.Sometimes I wish I were,though." 

He shook his head in disgust."If you really knew what it was like,you wouldn't." 

For a moment there was silence,save for the hiss of the laboring heater and the occasional crunching of gravel and ice beneath the tires,and he had an almost unbearable urge for a smoke.But he was pretty sure he didn't have any cigars left.Oh damn it,how in the hell could he have forgotten those?Lack of sleep must have been starting to make him punchy. 

"Now it's your turn,"Elena said suddenly."Why did you want the soldiers?" 

He stared out at the road,beyond the tunnels the headlights cut in the darkness,and wondered how much he could risk telling this woman."I got issues,"he finally said,deciding that was just vague enough to do. 

"What kind of issues?"She persisted. 

"I'm looking for someone."It wasn't really an answer at all,but until he figured out who and what this woman was,he didn't intend to tell her one damn useful thing.And he didn't give her a chance to ask a follow up question either."Hey kid,how'd you know I was a mutant?" 

"With that hair?You couldn't be normal."She replied,then giggled at her own joke. 

He shot her an evil scowl in the mirror. 

Elena smiled,but bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing."Now,Alex,come on.That's rude." 

"But-" 

"Alex,"she said,in that stern "I'm-your-mother-and-you-will-listen-to-me-or-die" tone that seemed to come along with childbirth,like oxytocin. 

She sighed and rolled her eyes,like the world's youngest martyr,and dutifully said,"I'm sorry." 

He just shrugged one shoulder.He really didn't care. 

"Alex can see bioelectric patterns,"Elena then said,apparently answering his question."And mutants have different ones than homo sapiens." 

"We're all homo sapiens,"he replied,almost offended.What the hell was she saying? 

"No,"she answered casually."In the scientific community,mutants are called 'homo superior'.A breed apart; a breed above." 

Okay,now he was offended."I ain't above nobody.Except maybe rednecks and jarheads.And why would you know anything about the scientific community?"As soon as he said it,he thought he knew what she was going to say,and it made his gut turn to ice.Was fate even sicker than he thought? 

Then she said it:"I was a member of them.You probably won't believe me,but I used to be a genetic engineer." 

He wondered if any of them were involved in what was done to him.You'd think not,but there had to be scientists involved."A scientist who can shoot like that?"He replied,struggling to keep the anger out of his voice.But his mind was buzzing with the possibilities.Did she know anyone who specialized in the use of adamantium? 

"We're not all hopeless nerds.Also,I'm a Montana farmer's daughter-I was shooting by the age of seven,to keep wolves and dogs out of the chicken coop." 

"You didn't kill them,"Alex asked,horrified. 

"No,honey.I never liked killing anything." 

Logan instantly thought of all those soldiers she shot down,but they deserved it.She must have known he thought about it,though,because she said quietly,"But nobody touches my daughter." 

He bet.He would hate to be the boy that came to the door in five years,wanting to take Alex out for a date -he'd probably end up looking down the barrel of a forty five.Of course,if he had a daughter,he'd probably be the same way. 

He then wondered-not for the first time-if he did have a family out there somewhere.A family that had long considered him dead.It wasn't anything he wanted to contemplate right now;he felt edgy enough as it was. 

"Where are you taking us?"Elena asked,as if he had kidnapped them and not saved their asses. 

"Once we're in British Columbia,there's a major truck stop in Brascomb;I'll drop you off there."Assuming he got the answers he wanted,of course. 

"You aren't taking us to Alaska?"Alex chimed in. 

"Alaska?"He replied. 

"We're on our way to Alaska.There's a couple who lives there and takes in mutants and seems to successfully protect them."She paused before saying,"We're going to stay there for now." 

The pause before 'we' was long enough that he knew Elena had no intention of staying;she only intended to drop off Alex.Why?A woman who would kill six men to protect her daughter would then turn around and drop her off with strangers?That didn't make sense at all. 

But he knew that scent Elena was giving off.Not precisely,but generally.And that explained why she would want to put her daughter somewhere safe,but he didn't dare ask about it now,as it was obvious she hadn't told Alex,and she probably hadn't a clue. 

"I ain't going to Alaska,"he said,just in case it wasn't clear. 

"We still owe you a debt for your help,"Elena said."Thank you..." 

Reluctantly,he said,"Logan.And forget it.I don't owe no one nothing,and they don't owe me.Unless it's money." 

"That's a double negative,"Alex interjected."No,actually a triple negative.A quadruple?" 

He frowned at her in the mirror,and he noticed Elena look away,out the window,but not before he saw the tiny smile on her face. 

God,he really had to get a handle on his insane impulses. 

** 

    Brascomb wasn't an honest city,or even a town.It was just a sprawling truck stop,with a gas station and mini-mart attached,the only sign of civilization for a long stretch,a concrete island in a sea of trees.It was named after an old mine that used to exist near the spot,but got pretty well reemed out about fifty years ago.Now the forest had reclaimed everything that hadn't been paved,which was how it should have been. 

About a mile down the road,the place got real gorgeous.He loved this stretch of woods.If he ever needed a place to really hide out,it would be there.There was unfriendly weather,and the old mining pits made it a hazard to even the experienced hiker.The place was technically off limits,government land,but it wasn't like anyone ever came to check.It was not paradise,not by a long shot,but it was close enough for him. 

Elena and Alex both decided they were hungry,and he recommended the diner,which was cleaner than most and did serve a decent cheeseburger.Elena asked to at least buy him a cup of coffee as a very lame thank you,and he relented,if only to ask her about what he suspected before he hit the road.He had so many mysteries in his life he liked to close the ones he could. 

Although it was basically the middle of the night,the diner was bright and active,if not precisely busy. When you made your living off the sporadic business the interstate truckers brought you,you were open whenever they were awake and on the road. 

Alex wandered off to a small clutch of video games after they found a formica booth by the front window (which he didn't like-he seemed to instinctively avoid windows,or anywhere people could take a clear shot at him),and even from here he could see that 'Wolve' still had the two top scores on the "Death Match" game,and he hadn't played them in...what?Almost a year?He stopped playing after he accidentally ripped a joystick completely off a machine-wasn't that embarrassing. 

Ironically,he was as good in video game fights as he was in real life ones;he'd finally come to the conclusion that he probably had better than average reflexes.Maybe that should have been obvious,but since he was surprised to find he had claws in his hands,and wasn't sure if Logan was his first name or his last,he could take nothing about himself as a given.Except his healing abilities,of course;he seemed to always be at least peripherally aware of that. 

Or,he completely lacked common sense and didn't care if something killed him or not.The only things he feared were the things he didn't know;the things that disturbed his sleep at night,the shadows with scalpels and bone saws that spoke in flimsy whispers,and in codes of drugs,orders,and pain. 

As Alex started to try her hand at "Death Match" (It was extremely violent,in a cartoony way-but then again,she'd just seen real men killed,so what the fuck?),and after the sturdy,weary looking waitress had brought them their high octane coffee,Logan asked Elena,point blank:"She doesn't know?" 

Elena looked at him with tired eyes."Know what?" 

"That you're dying." 

She sat back slightly,eyes widening in surprise."How do you-" 

"I can smell it.Illness on you,pretty thick.But it's kind of strange,nothing I've encountered before.What do you have?"Maybe it was rude to ask,but hell,had that ever stopped him? 

She sat forward,resting her elbows on the table,lowering her face over the steam from her coffee cup. "Would you believe me if I said it was a designer virus?" 

He shrugged."What's the difference between that and a normal one?" 

"This one was made just for everyone on the Samson Project.A lethal failsafe in case we got any ideas about leaving.I'm still not sure who made it,or how they infected us,if they did infect us all." 

That word again:"project"."What the hell was the Samson Project?" 

She poured one of those little containers of fake cream into her coffee,clouding the muddy water."Some megalomaniacal plan to create super soldiers.It's awful when life resembles a comic book,isn't it?" 

As she reached for her spoon,he grabbed her wrist,hard enough that she gasped."Was I one of those?"He growled."Are you one of the ones who did this to me?"He sprung the claws on the hand holding her wrist,but just enough that the tips nudged through the skin,so only she could see them. 

(He had a vague memory,one of those faint voices from his nightmares:"We're trying to make the ultimate weapon here.You have to expect to break a few people in the process...") 

Her eyes seemed to bulge as she stared at the tips of his claws poking through his knuckles,and the small but growing puddle of blood oozing from the still open skin and pooling on the table.She was scared, but more freaked out and intrigued."Are-are you saying those aren't natural?"She asked,finally tearing her eyes away from his hand and looking at him. 

"You think adamantium claws are natural?" 

Her shock was palpable."They're adamantium?How...you do know it's poisonous,don't you?" 

"Huh?"News to him. 

"You can get adamantium poisoning,just like lead poisoning.How much do you have?Do you know?" 

"Do you know?"That was probably another reason he got chosen for the experiment:they knew adamantium poisoning wouldn't kill him.His body probably adapted to it,like it did to all drugs,and seemingly all poisons too. 

She shook her head."No.Is that who you're searching for?The person who did this to you?" 

"In part,"he said,being deliberately cryptic.She didn't need to know the rest.But she was telling the truth, as far as he could tell-her surprise seemed genuine,and he saw no recognition in her face-so he let her go, and retracted the claws into his hands. 

He had to empty half the napkin container to mop up the blood. 

"So Alex is a member of the Samsons,huh?"He said,as he wiped up the blood."Why'd you experiment on your own kid?" 

"I didn't.She's not-"she quickly stopped herself,and it was his turn to be surprised. 

"She's not your daughter?" 

She shook her head faintly."Not biologically,no.But I've raised her,and I've been hiding her from them for thirteen years now.As far as I'm concerned,she is my daughter." 

"Why are you hiding her from Eden Biotechnics?Guilt?" 

That made her flinch slightly,anger flashing briefly through her eyes.Well,the truth was a real bitch sometimes."I did not-"she began,an edge to her voice.But she paused,took a breath,and started again."When I started work at Eden,it was to search for a cure to many genetic diseases.At least that's what I and many of my fellow researchers thought.It was only after several...abnormalities in what our project director wanted from us that we discovered that Project Athena was actually Project Samson." 

"And it never occurred to you to go the press?" 

"Do you think anyone would believe me?" 

He shrugged.Fair enough."So Alex was the product of these experiments?" 

"One of them.See,there were ten women who signed up for experimental gene therapy on their fetuses in utero-all of them had genetic abnormalities that would doom them to short lives,if they weren't stillborn." 

"So,she's not a natural mutant,but a constructed one?" 

Elena nodded,looking chagrined."She doesn't know." 

"What about the parents of these kids?Wouldn't they notice them missing?" 

"Only eight survived to birth,and then one died after having a mysterious immune reaction.Of the seven survivors,three had parents who were in on the whole Samson thing." 

"And the other four?" 

"One couple died in a mysterious car accident,and the child ended up in custody of the Project supervisor. Who had the three other children as well.It seems those parents got substitute infants they were told were theirs." 

"Substitutes from where?" 

She shrugged."We never found out.I assume orphanages or foster care,but honestly I don't want to know. Terry and I-Terry was a fellow engineer on the project-started to get suspicious after we were instructed to isolate a gene that dictates muscle density and 'enhance' it."She glanced over at the video games,to make sure Alex was still there and out of earshot."We illegally broke into the supervisor's office and discovered the whole thing.We also discovered that someone higher up in Eden Biotechnics-they were always referred to by code,'Overlord',even in secret memos-ordered the 'first' Samson project shut down,because the children were not good enough.A little digging revealed that shutting down the project meant-" 

"Killing the kids,"he interrupted,nodding."Gotta bury the evidence." 

She grimaced sourly."That certainly seemed to be their belief." 

"So,what?You and Terry thought you could get away with kidnapping them and putting them in homes or something?" 

She continued to give him an evil look."Are you telepathic too?" 

"No,but I think I've heard this story before." 

Her frown deepened to a scowl.He expected a kick under the table,but it never happened."It wasn't just Terry and I-two other lab workers,Qui Li and Jae-we all worked together on this." 

"How many are dead?" 

Now she expected him to jump ahead in the narrative;she was hardly surprised.Still,she looked down at the muddy mess of her coffee,avoiding his eyes."Everyone but me." 

He wondered if her ability to shoot (and-here he was guessing-her access to firearms) and improvise (cop uniform:it looked real too.Where in the hell had she gotten it) were the only things that made the difference."Let me guess-of the kids,only Alex is left in the upright and breathing club." 

That earned him a truly ugly look,broken when the waitress (wow,was she high on speed-he could smell the amphetamines in her sweat) brought over the grilled cheese sandwich Elena had ordered.She gave the waitress a weak smile and a wan "Thank you," and as soon as she was gone,shoved the sandwich aside.She had lost her appetite,if she had ever had one at all."There's two whose fates are unclear.But it's possible." 

He then considered what she said about raising Alex."You've been hiding out from these dickheads for thirteen years?How'd they find you?" 

She shrugged with her hands,shaking her head.He caught the sudden annoyance in her posture and her expression."I don't know.I left the States almost immediately after I took her,and we lived in quiet anonymity in Wales-and then Scotland-for years.Then I started to get sick,and while I figured out what was happening,I heard rumors that Eden-which was no longer operating in the States for 'regulatory' reasons-actually did have a functioning lab here or in the Western U.S. ,where the Samson project was continuing." 

"So you risk running into these clowns on a suicide mission?"He scoffed.It almost sounded like something he would do."That's moronic,hon,I don't care how sick you are." 

She glared at him,her hate instantaneous and molten,and he reminded himself that,scientist geek or not, this woman was in touch with her inner savage,and it packed automatic weapons.He had to respect that."I had no choice but to come back to the States.Eden Biotechnics created a false file on me-they used my picture but a different name to say I was an internationally wanted terrorist.In a single day I went from a nobody G.P. in the Scottish Highlands to being wanted by MI5,the C.I.A.,and even Interpol.I had no choice but to go.I was going to drop Alex off at a mutant safe house in Vermont,but it didn't work out that way. When we got there,everyone was dead." 

"They beat you there?" 

She shook her head,and started to pick apart the crusts of her sandwich,if only to give her idle,nervous hands something to do."Probably,I don't know.The only other 'safe house' I knew of was in Alaska,but I didn't trusts the airports anymore.How could I?I'm wanted by nearly every security force in the western world." 

"So you tried to drive it,and figured Canada would probably be a better bet than the States,"he guessed, filling out the rest of the story for himself."But you keep running into these pricks at every turn." 

She nodded,having a brief tug of war with the clinging strands of gooey,bright orange cheese over a segment of golden brown crust."And I don't know how long before my bioelectric signature starts to show the degradation of my health." 

"You gonna eat that?"He wondered.Now he was hungry,and he didn't know why.Did he even like cheese sandwiches? 

She shoved the plate towards him."Help yourself." 

"Thanks."He grabbed the half of the sandwich she hadn't torn apart,and bit into it.The texture was fairly disgusting,and it had almost no taste at all beyond the artificial cheddar flavor,but in spite of that it was actually okay."There's some things I don't get,"he admitted between bites."First of all,how does a biotech firm have the money,resources,and men to do all this?I mean,since when do they have private armies?And how do you know they tailored a virus for you?" 

"During our research,Terry and I discovered that Eden is owned by-what?"she asked,interrupting herself. 

Logan was hearing an odd noise,one he could still discern over the electronic cacophony erupting from the video games on the one hand,and the tinny news broadcast coming over an ancient radio behind the front counter on the other,as well as the quiet murmur of conversations and the spit and sizzle of cooking food.  
Elena probably heard half of what he heard,and yet still she wasn't picking up the small,gritty noise of the window vibrating in its frame. 

Now that he was staring at it,ignoring the halogen lit view of the gas pumps just outside,he could see the slight bow and shake in the window's interior reflections."We have to get outta here,"he said,throwing the rest of the sandwich down on the plate.He jumped to his feet and wiped the grease off his hands on the seat of his pants.It was probably already too late. 

"What?"Elena asked,sounding equally confused and irritated."Why should-" 

"The chopper's comin',"he snapped."They tracked you down again." 

She looked around,as if she could actually see it through the roof or the window,but jumped up to her feet, hands immediately falling to the butts of her gun,still hidden beneath her police jacket.Well,for now. 

"Alex,"she said impatiently,trying to keep the fear from her voice. 

It was then that Logan heard the noise in the kitchen,and was not terribly surprised when soldiers in black body armor burst through that door,startling the waitress behind the counter. 

The rent-a-soldiers came through rifles first,and that's when he noticed half of them were carrying standard live ammo sniper rifles,and the other half were carrying ones that fired drug cartridges.They didn't want to kill Alex,just Elena.They wanted Alex alive.Maybe they decided the experiment wasn't such a botch after all. 

The men did not recognize him;they seemed to think he was just another patron."Get down!" One of them shouted,as another shouted into a radio clipped to the shoulder of his jacket,"Target acquired!Engaging-" 

It was instinct.He didn't care what actually happened to Alex or Elena.But absolutely no one gave him orders down the barrel of a gun. 

He charged them with an angry roar,popping the claws of his hands as he dove towards them.They were so startled by 'civilian' involvement they didn't have much time to react.Not that any reaction would have been a defense against him. 

"Logan!"He heard Elena scream,but distantly.It was like he was in a different place,a small and deadly space in his own mind,where everything faded out to simply his attackers (prey),tinged at the edges with red.He didn't know what it was about soldiers aiming weapons at him,but it catapulted him into instant, belligerent fury. 

"Hostile!"He heard one soldier shout,again quite distantly."Code red!Code red!We are under att-" 

Logan didn't even know who he was hitting;he slashed everything wildly,guns and faces alike,body armor and skin.He heard screams,smelled blood,felt stings as something hit him from behind-whether bullets or drug darts he didn't know,and he didn't care,because either way it wasn't going to help them.If that was the best they could do,these boys were so screwed he almost felt sorry for them. 

Almost. 

He didn't count how many soldiers had come in back,through the kitchen,but too few,as he was soon out of moving and upright targets to hit.He came back to himself standing in the middle of a small pile of bleeding and broken bodies,shredded parts of rifles scattered around the perimeter like a broken fence.Blood dripped from his claws,but this time none of it was his.Several near by tables were also broken,and one soldier laid splayed backwards over the counter,half of his left arm gone and pumping blood that was gushing to the already blood slicked floor like a fountain.He didn't even remember doing that. 

He heard the scuffle of boots outside on the pavement,heard the running gun battle farther out (Elena booked,taking Alex with her-for the best),as well as the distant murmurs of the other soldiers as they moved into position around the diner. 

("What the fuck is he?"  
"Mutant.God damn freak bastard-"  
"One of ours?Is he one of ours?"  
"I don't think so-"  
"Like he'd know."  
"Shit,he tore them apart-") 

Logan was so angry he was almost trembling;the voices were being drowned out by the roar of blood in his ears.He saw the shadowy movements outside the windows,knew very well they were flanking the diner, planning to close in on him en masse,or maybe just firebomb the dump with him in it.They were also depending on him to make a run out the front or back door. 

Did they think he was a moron? 

Logan jumped up onto an intact table,and then dove through the window,claws first. 

He was barely aware of the glass tugging at his clothes,tearing his skin,even as he skewered one of the soldiers and hit the ground. 

He was met with a burst of gunfire,curses,and shouted orders."He's out!Containment team to position one-" 

"Head!Aim for the head!" 

"Fuck it!Just shoot the bastard!" 

Bullets were already flying when he hit the ground,but they seemed to hit the soldier he hit,not him.If they did get him,he was so pumped full of adrenaline and rage he he didn't feel a single bullet. 

He rolled off the soldier,claws tearing through muscles and body armor equally,and was instantly besieged as soon as he jumped up to his feet, maybe a dozen soldiers crowding in on him like someone had yelled 'Dogpile on Logan'. 

Great.He liked fighting in close quarters. 

He slashed out wildly,shattering guns and slicing open heads,and some idiots tried to shoot him point blank, only to have the bullets ricochet off his bones and back into the crowd of soldiers,taking at least one of them down,and someone had the good sense to start screaming:"Hold your fire!Stop shooting!" 

He kicked one soldier hard enough that he heard his sternum collapse,and elbowed another so hard in the face he was pretty sure he heard his skull crack.Someone tried to bludgeon him with a rifle,but it snapped in half like a dried tree branch,and he barely noticed the bump. 

The men were crawling all over him like ants,but he was swatting them off just as easily;they never even got him off his feet. 

"Air support!"One of the guys from the containment unit shouted before joining the fray."We need back up, ASAP!" 

"He is not the target!"Someone yelled back over the radio. 

"He is now!"The soldier shouted back,sounding really irate. 

Logan laughed.He couldn't help it;it was damn funny.Did they really think there was enough of them to take him down? 

They may have had a shot earlier,in the beginning.But now he was pissed off,and they didn't have a prayer. 

He had made his way through most of the crowd,and saw that several soldiers had turned tail and ran, between the outbuilding that held the 'rest stop' (toilets) and the far end of the diner.He didn't know if they were running away from him or towards Elena and Alex (he could still hear multiple gunshots,fading out towards the dark mass of the forest),and after sending the last fool in his way flying towards the gas pumps,he started after them. 

He had a moment to reflect that this was starting to become a pattern:he kept finishing other people's fights.What was up with that? 

It was then he felt the rumble in the ground,heard the acceleration of a truck engine,and turned around just in time to violently meet the front grill,as it slammed into him at seventy miles an hour. 

    4 

Canada-Present Day 

    He rolled into the virtual ghost town known as Wyler's Rest in the half light between dusk and dawn, the sky a bruise purple turn pale violet at the edges,making the town look more ominous than it was in the full light of day. 


	3. Part 3

In the harsh light of the sun,you could see that the town was nothing but a ramshackle collection of buildings in differing types of slow collapse,half of them closed and abandoned,the facades still bearing the layers of dirt and grime from the old smelter,whose shutting down several years ago killed the town. 

Logan drove slowly down the crumbling main street,avoiding the huge potholes that the dim streetlights didn't bother to illuminate,and sniffed the air,not surprised at how stale it seemed.The place even smelled like a closet that had been nailed shut for decades. 

There was an island of light up ahead,a small gas station so old its pumps weren't even digital or set up for credit cards,but it did have that ubiquitous urban staple,the attached mini-mart.In this place,it was probably the grocery store. 

He saw a car in the parking lot,some kind of all terrain vehicle,and he wondered if it belonged to the person he was looking for. 

Logan pulled the bike into the parking lot,avoiding the crumbling berm,and the gashes in the concrete that looked as if it had never recovered from an earthquake,and cautiously sniffed the cool,misty air.He smelled nothing but exhausted and gasoline,dust,rain,and concrete.And one person,very familiar,with a hint of vanilla musk perfume,cigarettes,and wintergreen underneath it,who had come through very recently.Time changed some things. 

But not him;never him. 

It was a little disturbing to think Bob was one of the few other men who could understand that. 

He killed the engine and put down the kickstand,then dug in his pockets for a cigar as he approached the glass door of the mini-mart. 

He found a half smoked stub that he had saved,and stuck it in the corner of his mouth as he gently shoved open the door.He heard the jingle of the bell,and among the odors of overcooked meat stewing in its own congealing juices,over boiled coffee,a hint of lemon cleanser,and the commingled scents of the roughly dozen people who had been in here the last ten hours or so,two scents came on strong:the rather sleepy looking man at the cashier's counter,desultorily reading the paper as he sipped his coffee,and the woman he smelled out in the parking lot. 

He had just started stalking the bright,florescent lit aisles when he sensed/heard/felt something winging its way towards the back of his head. 

He spun on his heels,his left hand shooting up and snatching the object out of the air before he even had a chance to see the thing.The object felt so familiar,though,he knew it was a can of beer from the cooler by feel alone. 

Looking down the aisle,he saw a tall,dark woman grinning at him."You know,that's always been completely creepy." 

He raised an eyebrow at her."Not being able to cold cock me with a blunt object?" 

She shrugged a single shoulder."That too." 

Alex then came down the chip aisle and embraced him,which was a bit of a shock,but he wondered why he was surprised by it.She probably still believed he was some kind of hero or something,which couldn't be farther from the truth.He was just...what was he? 

An angry man (a wounded animal).In a way,Elena and Alex had done him a favor by giving him a target for his free floating rage all those years ago.And now he was getting another target,and not a moment too soon. 

"You know,hugging you is a lot like hugging a warm statue,"she said,pulling away from him. 

"Is that a compliment or a complaint?" 

"Just an observation,"she replied,still smiling warmly at him.The smile reflected in her light hazel eyes,which still had a slightly exotic tilt to them.Actually,her whole face seemed to be tinged with a hint of the exotic,from her regal nose to her full lips to the slightly mahogany hue of her skin.She looked very much like the girl he remembered,except she was about an inch or two shy of six foot tall,and he could see slender but cable strong muscles in her long neck and long,formerly gangly limbs.She'd enhanced her own 'try-and-pin-down-the-nationality' looks with a short haircut,artfully messy,and under the harsh lights,it gleamed midnight black,like the pelt of a panther.Now she didn't look awkward,she looked formidable,which was as it should have been.She was. 

She stared at him for a moment,cocking her head to the side."My god-you haven't even aged a day,have you?" 

"I get that a lot,"he replied wryly.He then jerked his head in the direction of the mud brown ATV in the parking lot,beside his bike."Wanna talk in the car?" 

She nodded.It was better than to talk where an understandably confused clerk couldn't listen in on their conversation. 

"I'll meet you out there.I gotta buy a beer."Well,hell,it was better than coffee. 

She made a small noise of amusement,and when he turned back towards the clerk,she put a warm hand on his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze."It's good to see you again,Shane." 

It took him a moment,but to his surprise,he actually remembered the reference. 

*** 

Canada-1990 

    The truck hit him...well,like a speeding fucking truck. 

The sense of impact was unbelievable;Logan imagined it was exactly what getting hit in the chest with a wrecking ball would feel like. 

He had a sense of being thrown off his feet,and knew he had been when his back slammed up and through a wall.He remembered hitting the tiled floor hard,but his consciousness winked out for a few seconds.When he opened his still slightly blurry eyes to the scene again,he could see a huge hole in the drywall where he must have come through,with pieces of it still flaking to the floor. 

The truck was still idling outside,and he could hear the scuff of boots on pavement.And he hurt.How could he not?He'd just gotten plowed into at high speed and thrown through a wall.Adamantium skeleton or not,he took some damage;he could feel all the bruised tissue furiously repairing itself,organs partially crushed returning to normal,rattled brain finding new anchors. 

God was he angry.He thought he had been angry before,but obviously that was just a snit.He was going to kill each and every one of these fuckers...as soon as he got off the floor. 

To make matters worse,he was on a bathroom floor.He didn't know if the soldier boys had finally cut the power,or if him coming through the wall at sub-light speed had done it,but there were no lights at all.But,even if he couldn't see in dim light, he knew the smell of urinal cakes and piss,and the feel of the cold,slightly broken tiles beneath his aching body were a bit of a giveaway too. 

More scuffling outside,voices,whispered and nervous."There's no fucking way he could have survived that.That's overkill-" 

"Not on a homicidal freak like that.What does he have in his fucking hands?Machetes?" 

"I bet he was just wearin' 'em,like spiked brass knucks." 

"We'll see for ourselves in a minute." 

He heard the sound of a pin being pulled,and a metal cannister bounced in through the roughly Logan shaped hole in the wall. 

Logan knew it was probably a stun or flash grenade (a gas one he could've smelled by now),and he forced his still healing body to move,grabbing the hot cannister in mid bounce,and lobbing it into one of the farther stalls.By the noise of a splash,he knew he had hit an inadvertent bullseye,and quickly rolled over onto his side,curling into a fetal position and covering his head with his arms. 

He chuckled to himself as he thought,"Fire in the hole",and as if on cue,the grenade went off,and the toilet exploded. 

Potentially deadly shards of porcelain shrapnel spewed outward,some punching through the thin metal walls of the stall, and the sudden pressure in the line caused water to gush like geysers from the other toilets and the couple of remaining urinals.Who knew one little stun grenade could turn a john into a water park?It was a good thing no one was using one of them either,or that would have been one hell of an enema. 

"What the fuck-"one of the soldiers said,and he risked a glance inside. 

Logan was already on his feet and standing against the wall,waiting for some dumb ass to do just that. 

He simply lashed out an elbow and caught him flush in the face,the crack of bone as magnificent as it was startling to the other soldiers clustered around him.They reacted,raising weapons,trying to back off and get some distance,but Logan threw himself at them,slashing like the scythe of Death itself.Far too soon,the five soldiers were down and out,quite possibly for good.Dumb as paint,those boys. 

There were no more in the parking lot,not even in the still idling truck;they were all out in the woods,trying to run Elena and Alex to ground.He could still hear sporadic gunfire. 

He wondered how good they were as trackers.Logan bet he was better,especially in such welcome territory as the forest.  
Grinning to himself at the thought of a hunt,he ran off towards the woods,following the smell and sounds of the soldiers into the snowy darkness. 

He supposed that he could have been blind and unable to smell,and still he would have had no trouble following these morons.And it wasn't just the sporadic bursts of gunfire,although god knew that helped.No,these guys didn't leave a path in the snow but an entire landing strip,and they tore through the foliage like a herd of rampaging moose.He could have been completely senseless,and yet found them all easily. 

The snow seemed florescent in the moonlight oozing through the thick layer of clouds,the trees black and as towering as giants,and he moved quietly through it all,a ghost picking off the straggling soldiers one by one. 

Now more in control of his rage,he thought of the strikes clinically.He started taking out men with no struggle,no noise;one well placed hit and they were down.He could be most quiet animal the woods had ever seen if he put his mind to it,and it was kind of funny since he was one third metal,and round about three hundred pounds,and not necessarily known for his grace and delicacy.But what he lacked in obvious poise he made up for in skill. 

And not for the first time,he wondered where and when he had acquired these skills. 

He heard curses up ahead,cries for help over their radios,not only due to having been laid low by gunshots,but some of the dipshits had fallen into old mining pits,now overgrown by shrubs,but still as injurious as old fashioned booby traps.Logan knew where they were,though;there was a difference in sound around the pits,a difference in the 'feel' of the ground,a vaguely tar like smell,and of course he could often see the shadows beneath the huge,tangling briar mounds (of course,he wouldn't expect anyone with merely normal sight to see that).He hoped Elena and Alex had avoided them,unlike these assholes.He'd hope Elena was smart enough. 

He found the final cluster of troops trying to surround Elena and Alex,but they were at a bit of a loss:Elena had started up an incline so dense with trees and underbrush it was an obstacle course,and allowed very few opportunities for a clear shot on either side. 

Of course,he could see their footsteps in the snow,but anyone who followed the path was met with a hail of bullets.Or so he assumed from all the blood on the snow,and the dead body splayed half way up the trail. 

They were trying to surround her,but the upward slope and dense vegetation were making it a battle,and while he could hear the helicopter,it was just making sweeps of frustration,as the trees were too tall and too close together to allow for aerial sniping.Either Elaina was a good tactician,or that had been a happy accident. 

He easily picked off two of the men quietly at the same time (one went down with a punch to the back of the head;the other one he just snap kicked in the face),and then searched them for stun grenades.The first one didn't have one,but the second one did.Obviously it was special issue. 

He sighted the largest group of soldiers,a few klicks away from him and trying to hunker down behind the trees and shrubs at the base of the rise,pulled the pin on the grenade,and lobbed it at the soldiers.They didn't notice it until it plopped down into the snow before them,and even then,only one had time to react in any manner at all."Oh sh-" 

It then went of in a stunning flash of noise,pressure,and light,and the men fell like ten pins,some still conscious enough to groan pitifully,but not do anything productive. 

The helicopter buzzed the treetops dangerously low,but he knew they couldn't see him.When he didn't want to be seen,he was almost as good as invisible. 

He quietly stalked the hillside,in search of the few soldiers who had managed to penetrate the forest without getting shot by Elena.In spite of the stun grenading down below,they never expected him,and he always caught them by surprise.In two minutes,he had left a small,scattered trail of bodies behind him,and after a brief gun battle,Elena had taken down what he scented to be the last remaining one. 

"Don't shoot,it's me,"he said,before openly emerging from the underbrush. 

Elena was crouched down behind a large evergreen trunk,while Alex was hiding behind a tree farther up the slope.And he knew,from the sour scent of infected blood,that Elena had been injured. 

Elena stared at him in slack jawed shock,still holding her Glock like a good luck talisman."How in the hell did you-did you fight your way through all those men?"Her eyes then fell to his bloody claws,dangling at his side,and he instantly retracted them back into his hands.For some reason,he felt momentarily embarrassed that she had seen them,and probably guessed that he had slaughtered quite a few of the soldiers. 

"Wow,"Alex said,emerging from her hiding place."You're like Superman with claws." 

He scowled at her."I am not."The closer he got to Elena,the more he could see blood on the snow around her,like it was bubbling up from the roots of the great tree."Oh fuck,where were you shot?"He asked,quickly moving to her side. 

He saw the surprise in her eyes,but she didn't ask how he knew.He got a sense there was now very little he could do that would truly shock her."My shoulder.It's superficial." 

He crouched down in front of her,and helped her slip her left arm out of her sleeve to have a look.Flak jackets didn't have sleeves,and he didn't know why;it would have been a favor to them all. 

It wasn't 'superficial' as she claimed;there was a hole in her shoulder,about as thick around as his thumb,and it was bleeding copiously.It didn't help that the bullet was lodged against the bone,silver glinting against crimson and white."I bet that hurts." 

"No fucking kidding,Sherlock,"she snapped. 

"I think I can get it out of there.Close your eyes." 

"Why?" 

"Trust me,just do it.And don't move." 

For a long moment,she just stared at him,searching his eyes for some hint of what he planned to do,then she nodded grimly and looked away,closing her eyes tightly. 

He popped the claw of his right forefinger,and carefully slid it inside the wound,not touching her skin but sliding in up against the bullet.He didn't want to touch it with the tip and cut it,he only used the side of the blade to loosen the bullet, and when he thought he had it,he began to slowly withdraw it,the bullet being pulled along with.She hissed underneath her breath,and her body tensed in pain,but Elena didn't move. 

He managed to work the bullet out of the wound,and as soon as it fell to the blood tinted snow,he retracted his claw inside his hand. 

"Whoa,"Alex said,in awe.He had sensed her behind him,watching,but there was nothing that could be done for it. 

    Elena opened her eyes and glanced at the wound before looking at him."You used your claws,didn't you?" 

He shrugged."One."The blood was still flowing freely,and in the dark he could truly see how gaunt she looked,her cheekbones like razor blades about to slice through her skin.She was already dying,and this was just insult to existing injury.Her blood was a poisoned thing,but she still needed all that she had. 

He ripped off a piece of his plaid overshirt (which was already torn and bloody as it was),and wrapped it around her injury,tying it tightly,although not so tightly that it became a tourniquet."Once we get back to the truck,I can sew it up."At her surprised look,he added,"Well,you can't go to a hospital,can ya?And you need stitches." 

"Oh,I know.I guess I'm just surprised you can sew."She replied,and a hint of a smile graced her pale pink lips. 

He scowled at her,but he didn't really mean it.He felt a strange pity for this woman,and he didn't know why.What happened to her and her 'kid' was none of his business,and he really didn't care.No,he didn't. 

But he still wanted to know who these soldier boys actually worked for,and if he was really 'one of theirs'.Just because Elena didn't know him didn't mean he wasn't from a separate project. 

The adult Samson project.After all,wasn't he supposed to be the perfect killing machine? 

Hadn't he just proved it? 

The helicopter buzzed as low as it could go,and once it had made its pass,he said,"Come on,let's get out of here before reinforcements arrive." 

"You're gonna take us to Alaska?"Alex asked hopefully. 

"Alex,"Elena warned."I don't think that's-" 

"We'll see,"he replied,not ready to have this discussion right now.He'd worry about what the hell he was going to do with them once they were all back on the road again. 

Elena tried to get to her feet,using the tree as a brace with her good hand,but she almost fell right over.Still holding on to her gun probably didn't help matters. 

He stood up,grabbing her around the waist to help steady her."You gonna make it?"He wondered. 

Somehow,he had said something wrong.The look she gave him was pure death."I'll be fine.I was just dizzy for a moment." 

"I wasn't-"he began,then stopped.Wasn't a point in having this argument,and he wasn't about to apologize for showing a modicum of concern.He looked over to Alex instead.The girl was still looking at him with wide,staring eyes,as if she wasn't sure if she should be scared of him,or admire him,or try and find a happy medium."Can you shoot?" 

It seemed to take her a moment to process the question."Yeah,sure." 

He plucked the gun out of Elena's hand,and handed it to Alex."I think they're down for good,but keep your eyes open." 

"Hey,"Elena protested,although weakly.She looked very ashen in the slivers of moonlight,and he felt her body shift clumsily,her hip rubbing up against his.She was very close to passing out. 

"You have two guns,"he pointed out,carefully draping her left arm around his shoulders.She let out a little hissing breath of pain,but then she fell almost heavily against him.He was hoping she was unconscious so he could just throw her over his shoulder-they'd move faster-but she was still conscious.She'd simply unbalanced,and going down a snowy hill full of vegetation with her was a daunting prospect. 

Still,he headed down,almost dragging her along,Alex taking up the rear.The sight of blood soaking through the snow and fallen bodies-some dead,some not-greeted them on their way down,solid forms in the long midnight shadows of the towering trees,the scent of gore and death on the wind overpowering the smell of the snow that he knew would soon fall. This was a pretty place;it was a shame to pollute it with so much violence. 

Elena was losing strength;he could feel it in the general sag of her body.She had been running on pure adrenaline and will, and now that the battle seemed to be over it was fleeing her.Her head lolled against his shoulder,and she said,in a voice so quiet it was probably good her face was close to his ear,"You're not just a mutant.What are you,Logan?" 

It was a fair question,really.He wished he could answer it."I don't know,"he replied,just as quietly,his words turning into white clouds before him.But it was a partial lie,wasn't it?He suspected...he knew he was almost too good at hurting people. He knew how to kill,quickly,quietly,and efficiently,even if he didn't always choose those options. 

He was a killing machine.And he suspected that he had been made that way. 

She made a strange noise,half way between a scoff and a labored sigh,and he wondered if that was her way of saying she didn't believe that for a second.But the next thing she said sounded delirious."You're like "Shane" or something." 

"Who's Shane?"He'd never even slept with the woman,and yet she was still comparing him to old boyfriends? 

"You know,the old movie.You're like the loner gunslinger who shows up to save the day." 

He had to think about that for a moment."Do you mean "The Road Warrior"?I thought his name was Mad Max."And while Max carried a gun,he was hardly a gunslinger;he never really had any bullets. 

Man-how disturbing was it that he knew that? 

But she didn't answer,mainly because her entire body became dead weight,and she pitched forward,now finally unconscious.He held her up,though,keeping her from hitting the ground,and now he hefted her up over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. 

"She's not dead,is she?"Alex asked in a small voice,clearly worried about the woman she thought was her mother.In truth, she was probably no more than her architect.But was he going to tell her that now? 

"No."He caught himself before he said 'not yet'."She's just lost a lot of blood.She'll be okay once I patch her up." 

Of course,that was a lie.Whatever was in her blood was killing her,and 'patching her up' might give her-what?A few more days?A week?He couldn't imagine she'd last a month.Now that he was carrying her,he realized most of her bulk was flak jacket and police parka;she weighed almost nothing.It was like she was a hollowed out husk of a human being,a mostly emptied shell. 

Alex nodded,choosing to trust him,and in that moment he was disgusted with himself for getting involved in this slow motion tragedy,and for having anything to do with humans at all.Their cruelty towards one another-nonetheless mutants- seemed bottomless. 

But even he wasn't cruel enough to leave them here. 

The trip down the slope was uneventful;the guys who could still move chose not to while they were around,probably to avoid a more painful ass whupping,or death.Bullets were good against Elena,but that was it;they just pissed him off,and if he understood Alex's mutation correctly,they just bounced off her.She certainly didn't appear injured in any way. 

But back at the truck stop,there was trouble waiting for them. 

That damn chopper was looping around in wide arcs,clearly waiting for them to get back to the lot.It wasn't snipers he was worried about-it was them following his truck and calling in more vultures. 

(And if they hurt his truck...) 

He found a nice quiet,intact spot behind the diner,and crouched down,gently putting down Elena on the ground,propped up against the back wall of the diner.She moaned,and it sounded like she tried to say something,but she was semi-conscious at best,and her eyes weren't even open."Look after your Mom,"he told Alex."I'll be right back." 

"What are you going to do?"She asked,sounding nervous.What,did she think he was abandoning them now? 

In a way,it infuriated him.Did she think he was that much of a heel?And hey,wait a minute,since when was he committed to helping them?He wasn't indebted to them;he could walk away with a clear conscience right now. 

(Yes he could,damn it!) 

"I'm gonna get the chopper off our ass,"he said,waiting until it came back around before heading out into the parking lot. 

"How?"Alex shouted after him,but he didn't reply,because as soon as he moved out from beneath cover,the helicopter crew spotted him. 

A spotlight stabbed down at him,threatening to blind him (that was the whole point),but his adapted quickly,even before the first bullets hit the concrete and shot sparks.He felt wasp like stings as bullets hit him too,but they didn't slow him down as he ran across the parking lot,and jumped up on the cab of a semi parked off to the far side of the lot.He then jumped up on its rear trailer,running its length as the chopper swooped down low for a more direct shot-just what Logan was waiting for. 

He ran to the end of the trailer,and lunged,leaping right for the low flying helicopter. 

It was a near thing,but he managed to grab one of the skids on the bottom of the chopper with one arm,his extra pounds all on one side throwing the chopper immediately off balance.It lurched dangerously towards the ground,and Logan felt the pilot fighting it,trying to pull it up and right it-somehow-and the sniper sitting inside the 'copter slid open the side door and aimed the barrel of his rifle right at Logan's face. 

Since he was hanging on to the skid with his right hand,he popped the claws on his left hand and slashed upwards,slicing his rifle to ribbons before he could fire a shot,and the sniper was so shocked by it he leapt back inside the chopper,out of slashing distance. 

The helicopter had managed to stay in the air,low,but continued to list heavily on Logan's side,and the pilot veered off, away from the dangerous gas pumps.The chopper seemed to shake a bit,as if trying to fling him off (maybe the pilot was giving it a shot),and while he knew he could just go in and take out both men,he had no interest.He just wanted the 'copter out of here and away from his truck. 

He slid down the skid towards the tail,and dug his claw into the body of the chopper,just before it thinned into the tail,and ripped down,tearing metal and causing liquid to spew out like he'd just severed an artery. 

Except it smelled like fuel.Which was exactly what it was. 

He let go of the skid and simply let himself fall-no matter where he landed,he'd be fine;no fall would ever be enough to kill him-and as he fell he watched the chopper suddenly over-correct itself (the sudden lack of his weight must have been a shock to the struggling pilot) and veer sharply upward and off to the right,bleeding fuel all the way,like a severely wounded mechanical animal. 

Logan hit the ground hard,but he had let go over a field of weeds,so his fall was cushioned by a foot deep layer of virgin snow.Even so,he had to lay there for a moment,staring up at the steel grey clouded sky as his vision pixilated slightly, black motes swarming before him like the negatives of fireflies,and his once again bruised organs sent out sharp spikes of pain that pulsed and faded with the motes in his vision. 

The chopper veered off hard to the south-southwest,and he could hear its engine start to sputter.It was possible there'd be enough residual fuel in the line that the pilot could make a sloppy emergency landing,but most likely it would be a hasty crash landing. 

Color him concerned. 

As soon as the pain faded to a dull background throb,he got up and started walking back to the truck stop,brushing snow off the back of his jeans. 

He was roughly sure he heard a distant thud of hard impact-the chopper coming down like a stone?-once he crossed onto the concrete median of the parking lot. 

Alex was waiting,peering around the corner of the diner,her face almost all goggle wide eyes and gaping mouth.It was a comical caricature of shock that nearly maybe him laugh."You're completely fucking insane,"she gasped. 

He shrugged."I get that a lot." 

She stepped back as he approached,as if afraid he might do something psycho,but then she looked at him solemnly."You really are like me." 

And now it was his turn to be slightly freaked out. 

    5 

    Her ATV didn't have enough room in the back for his bike,but she had lots of bungee cords,so he simply put it on the roof of her truck,on its side,and they lashed it down. 

Once they were done,they got in the front seat-which he couldn't help but notice was a lot more spacious than the front cab of his truck ever was-and she started the ATV for the long drive South. 

"I forgot how strong you are,"she said,giving him a sly sidelong glance. 

"Huh?"He dug out his lighter and lit his cigar stub.He could smell the smoke on her clothes and in the interior of her car- she smoked,so she wouldn't care. 

"I was going to offer to help you get the bike up,and then you heft it up like it's no more than a frozen turkey." 

He shrugged,not sure what to say."It was heavy." 

She smirked at him like she knew it was a lie,and threw the ATV into reverse."Still smoking the stinky stogies,I see." 

"And you're working the cancer sticks,I smell." 

She scowled,even as she focused her attention on the road."Are you really one to give me a smoking lecture?" 

"Yeah,'cause I can damage my lungs pointlessly;they always come back.Do you have an internal healing factor?" 

She shook her head,and started heading down the empty road at dangerous speed."You sound like my dad." 

Now there was something that it had never occurred to him to ask.It took him a moment to remember their names too-how embarrassing.""How is Sabine?And,uh...Bryan?" 

She grimaced,and he knew he had hit a sore topic."Bryan died in a car accident four years ago." 

"Oh.I'm sorry."He was,even though he never met the man.He could honestly barely remember him;he had filed him away in the 'inocuous do-gooder' category and not really thought of him since. 

She shrugged."It's strange how accustomed you get to death.I actually spent weeks looking for clues that he was actually murdered-his death I accepted.Just not that it was an accident." 

"But it was?" 

She nodded,her expression grim,lips thinned almost to nonexistence."Hit a patch of black ice,spun out,and slammed into a light pole at exactly the wrong angle.There wasn't even a second car involved."She paused briefly."It didn't even occur to me to tell you until I was taking his car apart for forensic evidence.I thought "I wish Logan was here;he'd be able to smell if something was amiss"."She glanced at him then,and her grin was self-effacing,embarrassed.her perfect teeth almost lambent in the darkness."Every time I hit an impossible wall,I always wished you were there.Somewhere along the way I decided you were the guy who could solve all the problems." 

He snorted humorously."So you've been smokin' more than just tobacco." 

That made her laugh,and it was such a nice sound he couldn't help but grin."Now come on.I'd get canned if I smoked the blunt.And believe me,I've met enough burn outs on the job I ain't eager to start." 

"What do you do?" 

She seemed to take a moment to answer that,as if afraid of his reaction."I'm a cop." 

She had to be pulling his leg."Bullshit!" 

That made her laugh again."No,seriously,I am.A detective in the Juneau P.D.,thank you very much.How did you think I finally found you?Good detective work.But don't worry,technically I'm on 'vacation' right now.I'm here as me,not Detective Brannon." 

Maybe that explained why she was in the phone book under her real name-she was a goddamn cop.Would Eden risk that kind of exposure?They'd have no guarantee they could buy off or silence the entire Juneau police force.And she had brought up something that was bothering him."How did you find me?" 

"Well,you know that whole Statue-" 

"Internet video?"He interrupted.He was starting to get a good idea how dangerous the internet was.Sex crazed Klingons aside. 

She nodded."Get that a lot,do you?Well,the res sucked,but I was pretty sure I recognized your hairstyle,and,well,the claws.The persons I did get a good look at were an anonymous redhead-she could have been anybody-but I knew the guy was the key." 

"The guy?"He repeated,with growing horror.Oh no. 

"Yeah,visor face.Now how many people walk around with glasses like that?I figured if I could get a zero on his location,I could find you." 

He put his head in his hands,not quite able to believe it."You found me 'cause of Cyclops?" 


	4. Part 4

"Is that what he calls himself?His New York driver's license has him as Scott Summers.He's a teacher,right?" 

"I can't believe people associate me with him now.I'm gonna have to track down all those tapes." 

"Is he that bad?" 

"He's an anal retentive goody two shoes asshole."He dry washed his face,avoiding the cigar,and sagged back in his seat.One goddamn thing,and he was never going to live it down.He tried his damndest to stay off the still functioning security cameras, but that goddamn Mystique... 

It was her turn to snort humorously."I can't imagine you hangin' with goody two shoes,Logan." 

"Neither can I." 

"So what do you do at the Institute?"She asked,and he heard the smile in her voice. 

He glowered at the side of her face."Nothing.I crash there occasionally.That's it." 

"Really?"She replied,sounding completely disbelieving."Well,I didn't think you were the teacher type." 

"I ain't." 

She was quiet for a moment,but he got a sense this wasn't over,not by a long shot."So,you're the security guard?" 

Now he knew she was taking the piss."Just drop it,Alex." 

"Gardener?Well,that would make sense-you have the built in hedge trimmers-"She could no longer keep a straight face,and started laughing. 

"Fine,look,sometimes I teach the kids how to defend themselves,use their powers defensively.That's all." 

She sobered,nodding along as if only to a tune she could hear."Sure,yeah,makes sense.Who's better at kicking ass than you? Well,besides me."She gave him a sidelong glance and a mischievous grin. 

He made a  show of looking her up and down before replying,"I could take ya." 

She laughed again,and he smiled,glancing out the window at the dark,ice frosted scenery scudding by.The farther they got from civilization,the prettier it got-and, conversely,the more dangerous.It wasn't only space where they couldn't hear you scream. 

After a moment,she said,"I'm really glad your here,Logan. It's just like old times,huh?" 

He grunted an agreement,adding darkly,"With a couple of exceptions." 

For a long time there was nothing but the sound of the tires on the road,the hum of their own velocity,as a dark wave of the past seemed to wash over them,full of sorrow and regret and a taste of bitterness that couldn't fade fast enough. 

There were some things not worth remembering.And some things that were just too damn sad to be worth it. 

Several minutes after the bittersweet wave of nostalgia fled them,they started planning what they hoped would be the final assault. 

*** 

Canada-1990 

    Logan decided it would be safest to put some distance between them and the wreckage of the truck stop,so he loaded Elena (and Alex,although she could move under her own steam) into the back and drove off first,going a few miles down the road before finding an old logging road,which he turned off onto immediately. 

The road was almost impossible to see unless you knew what to look for.Beaten down but never paved,the weeds and underbrush had reclaimed it,and the layer of brittle frost over everything had made it even harder to make out the distant echoes of ruts,tire tracks wore into the surface of hard earth.But Logan knew where it was-or at least should have been-and took it,the branches of trees slapping violently against the top of his trailer,gnarled roots and high mounds of scrub threatening to rip his muffler off.Sure they were out of sight,he stopped and put it in park,then climbed in the back to see how Elena was doing-and if there was anything he could (should) do for her. 

Alex was sitting against the side wall,her 'mother's' head in her lap.Her expression was blank,and he saw a weariness in the child's eyes that made her seem like an adult.She had seen a lot of  violence and death.Yet,it wasn't only that:in that instant, Logan knew-somehow-that she knew her mother was ill,probably dying,and had for some time.She let Elena think she was keeping it from her,but only because it made Elena feel better. 

The lies people told each other and themselves.No wonder humans were so fucked up as a species. 

Somewhere along the way,Elena had lost her cop hat.Her long,light brown hair was being idly stroked by Alex,as if their positions had somehow reversed,and Alex was now the mother and Elena the child."How's she doin'?"He asked,pulling out a rucksack and looking through it.It wasn't like he had a cabinet in the trailer to keep stuff,so he just threw assorted stuff he planned to keep in the bag. 

"I don't think I'll play the piano again,"Elena's voice replied weakly. 

He was surprised she was conscious,but he continued to sort through the random crap in the bag.Maybe it was because very little of what he owned meant anything to him (well,except the truck itself)but he could never quite remember what he had in here.The lack of anything disinfecting was no shock-since when had he ever had a use for disinfectant?That was for people at risk of infections.He didn't even have any aspirin,but,again,what use aspirin when your body neutralized it instantly?"Let me guess-you couldn't play the piano before,though."He said,finally finding the small travel sewing kit he picked up at a hotel or something...he thought.He wasn't always clear on all the detritus he picked up along the way.Both human and material flotsam and jetsam.He had a sense,indefinable but unshakable,that he was a constant accident waiting to happen,and that his life-whatever it had been-had been balancing on the edge of one disaster after another. 

(And one day,he fell...) 

"Got it ,"she replied,her voice sounding shaky.She was conscious,but may have still been in shock,or at least really goddamn cold.He had to shut off the truck so that anyone who may have been looking for them would not see the clouds of exhaust, but it was warmer in here than it was outside.Still,he had a  small propane heater in the trailer he could probably start up if he had to. 

"Head's up,"he said to Alex,and tossed her the little plastic pack of the sewing kit.She caught it very easily,and he wondered how her reflexes might compare to his.This was going to be brutal,unless she passed out again,or he knocked her out.He had no pain killers,nothing to sterilize the wound (for all the good that would do her,since she was already infected with something)... 

Wait a  minute-yes he did.He had both. 

He shoved the bag aside and crawled back up into the front cab,over the back of the seat,as he heard Elena say,"What,Logan? Are you gonna tell me you're a field medic now?" 

"No.But I know a lot about injuries." 

"How?" 

That question,simple as it was,stopped him cold for a moment."I don't know." 

"What do you know?" 

'That my name is Logan,and my name is Wolverine,and I am very good at hurting people,'he thought,and as always it left a  sour taste in his mouth.But it shook him out of his reverie,and he reached under the driver's seat,until his fingers found the silver metal flask. 

Under a rather bizarre set of circumstances,he won the flask after it was used as a  stake in a poker game.Supposedly it was worth some money (antique?) and had some sort of fleur-de-lis pattern etched into it,and was full of aged Scotch whiskey. Well,half full now;he'd had some,but decided to save it for only desperate situations,as frankly he didn't like the taste of this whiskey all that much.Too smokey.But it had enough alcohol in it to knock down a mule.Not only would it help kill the pain and disinfect the wound,but there was also a very good chance it would kick the shit out of the virus already in her system.  This was not for the meek,or the faint of liver. 

He crawled back over the seat and into the camper,finally answering her question."Enough to stay away from people." 

Elena was sitting up now,beside Alex,but was slumped against the wall,shivering,her slightly glazed eyes having a bit of trouble remaining focused on him.What if she was in shock?What was he supposed to do? 

But she couldn't be in shock.She was only shot in the shoulder...except there were arteries in the shoulder,weren't there? Shit!What color was the blood?Was it bright red?Then it probably was arterial.If it was a vein,it would have been darker. 

(How did he know this?) 

But it wasn't spurting blood out like a  severed artery would,and she still hadn't lost that much blood.It was probably just the wound (and gunshot wounds were nothing to sneeze at,unless he got them) on top of her struggling against the weight of her illness was just too much for her already overtaxed system.There were times when his body took so much damage that he'd just have to check out for a while;his body would have to shut almost everything else down so it could adequately repair itself.Of course,if he understood it right,most human bodies didn't work that way.'Shutting down' was a usually permanent and fatal affair. 

There were times he'd wonder how anybody could live with such a frail body.He knew for damn sure he never could. 

(But they wouldn't have targeted him if he had been frail...) 

He crouched down beside her,and opened the flask."Take a drink of this." 

Her blue eyes,now looking like glass,gazed at him impassively."Why?" 

"It'll help."He held it up to her lips and she reluctantly tilted the flask with her good hand,taking a  swallow,and then immediately shoved the flask away,not so much coughing as choking."My god,"she rasped,her eyes now watering.""What the fuck is that?Kerosene?" 

"Scotch whiskey.One hundred and twenty proof is my guess." 

"I think it just burnt away my throat lining,"she gasped,but he noticed she was more alert now.Hard not to be when your throat was on fire.She then grabbed the flask from his hand and took another swig,pausing to cough again as the alcohol burned its way down her throat.Maybe it was one pain exchanging itself for another,but almost any pain might have been better than the one in her shoulder right now. 

It then occurred to him the alcohol might burn like hell on the wound,no matter how intoxicated she was.Well,there was an easy remedy for that."Alex,"he said,glad to distract the girl for now if nothing else."Right behind you,next to that flannel shirt, there's a thermos."She looked,found it quickly."Go fill it with the cleanest snow you can find out there." 

"Why-"she began,but looked rather knowingly between him and Elena,then she simply nodded.It was for her mom,and that was all she needed to know.She headed out the back door of the camper,green plastic thermos in hand. 

As soon as Alex shut the door,Elena looked at him,her gaze much more focused than before."You are something like them, aren't you?You're a  super soldier.A prototype?" 

"No,"he snapped,perhaps a  little too quickly."I...I don't know."He started to slip her police parka off,so he could have access to the wound.She helped as much as she could,but never let go of the flask."Where'd you get the police gear?"Not only was he changing the subject,but he was curious. 

"New York,before crossing the border,"she said,pain giving a slight edge to her voice.But the alcohol was starting to kick in; he could hear her words starting to sound loose,especially anything with an ess sound."There was a place that outfitted cops. I broke in and stole some gear.I figured I'd need the flak jacket,but once inside I thought the outfit might help explain the guns." 

He nodded,as he picked up the little sewing kit off the floor,where Alex had left it before she went outside.He broke it open, and started searching for the thinnest needle,and the slenderest thread."Good idea.But what about the reason for a State cop in uniform runnin' around Canada?" 

She shrugged her right shoulder only."I had some bullshit story.Can't remember it now." 

Oh yeah,the booze was kicking in big time now.That stuff hit like a fucking cannonball.A good thing too.Although the piece of shirt he had tied around the bullet hole had slowed the bleeding,it hadn't staunched it;new blood oozed down the older blood caking her left arm,from shoulder to wrist.It looked like she had a  sleeve of blood. 

He undid the makeshift bandage,which was sodden with her diseased smelling blood,and looked around for something to clean the area before he attempted to close the wound (or,what he wouldn't have gave for a  stapler right now).He ended up grabbing the shirt on the floor (well,it was torn anyways),and ripped it in two,taking only the smaller piece. 

"You didn't attack those soldiers so Alex and I could get away,"she said,her voice sounding drowsy with alcohol.He tried to ignore her and simply work,taking the flask away from her so he could douse this new piece of cloth with whiskey."You attacked them 'cause you hated them.Somethin's goin' on with you,Logan.I'm not so stupid I can't tell that." 

"Just be quiet,"he growled."I'm helpin' ya-be grateful and back off." 

But she was already too inebriated-or simply too pigheaded-to listen."The dog tags-were you one of them?" 

"No,I was not,and I told you to drop it,"he snapped,wiping the blood from the edges of the wound with the alcohol soaked rag.He could still smell the cordite in her skin. 

She hissed in pain as the whiskey stung her torn flesh,but had yet to be discouraged."You're something,Logan.I know you are." 

"I am a fucking mutie freak,okay?"He snarled angrily,not daring to look her in the face."That's all I am." 

"No it's not." 

Luckily,Alex came back in at that point,and Elena  seemed willing to drop it now and get back to it later.If she survived and he let her. 

"It's starting to snow again,"Alex said,closing and locking the camper door behind her."I didn't really hear anything on the road,but they're going to be coming soon,aren't they?"Her almond shaped eyes glanced to her mother first,but then back to him,and he knew she was actually asking him the question. 

He nodded,anger subsiding for the moment.There was always time to get angry later,and always a good reason."This won't take long.Then we'll get back on the road,put distance between us and them." 

"And go where?"She asked,setting the thermos full of snow down beside him. 

That was a  very good question.He had to think about it a  long time before he answered. 

    6 

Canada-Now 

    Just to show how much the technology had changed in a dozen years,Alex had satellite photos of the new Eden Biotechnics experimental unit,on a piece of barren land near the border of the Northwest Territories. 

Of course,it didn't officially exist,and the photos were illegal,taken by a Russian satellite that also ironically didn't officially exist.But this wasn't the Cold War "We-will-bury-you" Russia,but the hard up for cash Russia,that had now taken to occasional blackmail to try and scrape up some revenue.They would even use photos of secret installation,show them to the target and let them know the photos would never get released if they forked over a certain amount of money.It wasn't the government up to this dubious scheme (probably too honest),but 'private operators',several of whom had ties to the once glorious and now bankrupt Russian space program.Alex had no idea what happened to the purveyors of these photos,if they were paid off and cheated,or killed off,or whatever,but she found them at a government conspiracy website that routinely 'published' verified unretouched satellite photos.They had claimed it was the home of some secret U.N. program,but Alex knew from her own detective work it was Eden.She'd got the photos just in time too-twelve hours after she downloaded the photos,the site got viciously 'cracked' (Alex informed him 'hacked' was not the right term,because true hackers did little damage.'Crackers' were hackers who hacked into sites or databases with the express purpose of vandalism and malicious damage...blah blah blah...he could feel his eyelids getting heavy.Why did he need to know this?) and crashed completely.By the time it got back up,it had been shut down for illegally distributing copyrighted material.Other conspiracy sites suggested it had been the result of the site owner getting "too close to the truth",but no one guessed it was related to these simple color enhanced photos of a dark,blocky building against an endless sea of unbroken white.    

Why Eden had moved operations to Canada she wasn't sure,except it was probably related to them getting involved in an attempt at cloning fetal tissue a couple years back,which didn't sit well with some politicians who controlled some of their funding.Considering how much money and power the people who owned Eden had,that didn't make much sense to him, unless..."They're close to something,and they don't wanna share?"He guessed,putting the photos back in Alex's glove compartment. 

She shrugged,eyes still fixed on the road."Could be something like that.God knows I don't trust 'em." 

"What if they have new subjects?"He wondered. 

Although he glanced at the white on white landscape speeding past them,out of the corner of his eyes he noticed her tense, hands gripping the steering wheel so tight her knuckles paled. Hadn't she considered that possibility?After a moment,she said,"Well,I guess we save them." 

"Unless they try and kill us."He pointed out. 

"They can try all they want,"she replied,with newfound confidence."Eden's too fucking greedy to make something that can beat us." 

He certainly hoped that was true.In about an hour,they would find out. 

*** 

Canada-1990 

    The snow started coming down in earnest once they hit the road,which figured somehow. 

Delicate flakes had transformed into a virtual sheet of white,salting down from the sky like it was the beginning of a new ice age.The good part of it was it seemed to be keeping most other people off the road. 

Elena was asleep in the back,on top of his sleeping bag,with the couple of loose blankets he had piled on top of her in a vain attempt to keep her warm.He thought she'd be okay-he did manage to close the wound-but frankly he didn't know.He knew more about hurting people than helping them. 

Alex was sitting in the front passenger seat,but thankfully she had been quiet.He thought maybe she had fallen asleep for a bit,but then she folded her thin,jean clad legs under her,shifting in her seat,and he knew she was awake,just staring at the bleak,snow blasted landscape.Maybe she was depressed about her mom,or just didn't know what to say. 

The first thing she said in twenty minutes was:"Can I turn on the radio?" 

He shrugged."Keep it low."Not that she'd have much choice;the speakers were busted. 

Not that she could get much,as you were unlikely to get good reception out here in the middle of nowhere.The only thing that seemed to be coming in on his tinny radio were a broadcast from a hockey game;some guy on a news show going on about Quebec separatism;twangy country music;something unbearably pop-y that he was sure she was going to stick with (thankfully she didn't);and an oldies station that she seemed to settle on for the moment,even though it was slowly losing the battle with interference.The ironic thing was the song now playing was the old Elvis Costello song "Oliver's Army".Ironic enough on its own,but the chorus-"I'd rather be anywhere else but here today"-never seemed more relevant. 

"How long have you known you were...you know,"Alex asked,somewhat awkwardly. 

He didn't look at her,but gripped the steering wheel harder.He didn't like talking about the past,and the fact that he didn't really remember it was only part of the reason."I don't know." 

She was quiet for a moment,and he thought she might drop it.No such luck."I think I've kinda always known I was different from others,you know?I mean,other kids fell off their bikes and scraped their knees.I could drop a butcher knife on my foot, and not only would it not cut me,but the blade would snap off.And it was neat,but I always tried to pretend I was just like everyone else." 

"Easier that way." 

She shrugged,and looked back out the window."I guess.You're the first other mutant I've ever met." 

He didn't know what he was supposed to say to that,so he didn't say anything. 

Costello faded out to The Clash and static,and she finally asked,"Have you met other mutants?" 

He nodded reluctantly."A few." 

"Do all normals hate us?" 

He wondered if he should be truthful,or sugar coat it.Oh,fuck it-he didn't even want to have this conversation at all."I'm sure there's a few that don't." 

She gave him a strange sidelong glance."Somehow,that doesn't sound promising." 

"Life sucks,"he replied,with an unconcerned shrug. 

She shook her head and smiled,looking away."You're Mr. Mary fucking Sunshine,aren't you?" 

He just grunted in a  sort of acknowledgment,again not sure what he was supposed to say.Kids made him uncomfortable as it was;mutant kids who wanted to 'bond' or whatever the hell made it a thousand times worse. 

She turned off the radio,as it was now just broadcasting static,and he finally turned on the windshield wipers,as the wind had shifted direction,and the snow was blowing against and sticking to the windshield.After a few minutes,where the metronomic slapping of the wiper blades was the only noise above the growling of the truck's engine,she sank deeper into her oversized brown parka,and then said,very quietly,"She's going to die,isn't she?" 

"No.The wound's-" 

"I'm not talking about from the gunshot.I know she's sick.She pretends she's not,but I know." 

He was annoyed,but mostly because he felt bad for her,and that just pissed him off."We all gotta die sometime,kid." 

"Even us?" 

That made him pause and reflect on how there were times part of him wished he would die,that something would just take him out once and for all,and yet it never happened.He always woke up again,always got up again-barely able to speak,stand,or even crawl sometimes,in so much pain he felt like he was stretched out on a rack full of broken glass and razor wire,but hey, he was still alive,right?And once the painful healing process was over (there was no way to describe the feeling of your own muscles knitting back together),he was perfectly fine.Wasn't he?"Yeah,even us,"he said,although he knew he was lying. She might have a chance to die.But he was pretty sure now he never would. 

He was still undecided if that was good or bad. 

** 

    "You should really let me drive,or at least pull over for a break,"Elena said,not for the first time. 

He continued to stare into the tunnels the headlights made in the darkness,reflected back by the snow that caked the sides of the road.The sandwich he'd wolfed down an hour ago was sitting in his stomach like a big ball of lead,and he was so tired he felt disconnected from himself,hollow behind his own eyes.But he would not rest,would not sleep,until his body absolutely made him. 

Elena had woken up in the afternoon,weak but okay considering,and had gradually gotten better all day.She even complimented him on the stitches ("Really nice.You could do this for a living.Or maybe quilt."),although it was a backhanded compliment as much as anything else. 

He stopped a few times,mainly out of necessity (food,gas),but it looked like he might have to stop soon whether he liked it or not.It had snowed all day,the flakes piling up,and several of the roads and mountain passes he had wanted to use to cut through the Yukon were virtually impassable.He'd heard on the radio,before it fuzzed out completely,that one of his favorite shortcuts had been closed due to avalanche.So he was trying to figure out the best detours around to where he wanted to go, but he didn't know the roads of the Yukon all that well.So he was trying his best,and the weather seemed out to foil him.On the plus side,their pursuers were probably even worse off than they were. 

Alex had gone in the back to sleep,and a slightly energized Elena had taken her place up front.She was not one hundred percent by any means,but she was no longer bedsheet white.The coffee,orange juice,and sandwich she had had seemed to help her a lot.But now he was hoping she'd pack it in for the night. 

"Do you know anything about these roads?"He asked peevishly. 

"Well,no,but-" 

"Then let me drive in peace."This was all such a mistake.He should just dump them at the next truck stop he came to;they were closer to Alaska anyways. 

Out of the corner of his eye,he saw him studying the side of his face with an uncomfortable scrutiny,and it just ticked him off more."What?"He snapped. 

"You can't be afraid of them.Are you afraid of anything?" 

'Them' had to be those Eden soldiers.He snorted derisively."Oh,right.I'm afraid of a group of pricks who couldn't find their own assholes with a flashlight and a map." 

"That's what I thought.So what are you afraid of?" 

He gave her an odd look.What the hell kind of question was that?"I ain't afraid of nothin'." 

"So why not sleep?You've been up way over twenty four hours now-" 

"Who the fuck are you-my mother?I'm fine.I don't need sleep like a normal person,okay?" 

"No,it's not okay.I don't buy that.You're exhausted,Logan.You look like shit." 

"You don't look so hot yourself,doll." 

But she didn't take the bait."You're afraid to sleep?" 

He forced a scoff,trying hard not to show that she had hit the mark."That's just stupid.Who'd be afraid to sleep?" 

"Somebody plagued by nightmares?"She guessed. 

He stared resolutely at the snowy road ahead of him,and said,through gritted teeth,"Ain't me,babe." 

But she looked dubious."You know-"she began,but he decided to cut her off. 

"So tell me about this virus of yours,"he interrupted."Are you contagious?" 

That had the desired effect.She grimaced,slightly uncomfortable with the topic."I'm not sure,"she admit,staring straight ahead at the endless white road before them."If so,it would be blood to blood contact,like HIV." 

Well,she proved she was some kind of doctor:she didn't call it AIDS,because that was an illness.HIV was the cause,the virus itself.And that's what listening to too much news radio on the road did to you."So,it's like that?" 

She shook her head reluctantly."No.In all honesty,it seemed to have a structure closer to malaria." 

"That's fatal?" 

"It can be.But in this case,this virus,whatever it is,is like a super-malaria.It also seems to have Dengue fever traits as well." 

He wasn't sure he'd heard of that one,but why would he?It wasn't like he ever had to worry about catching any of them. "So,you're gonna die of a high fever?" 

She glanced at him,with a weak smile that seemed to say "silly non-medical person"."No.It's most probable I'll die of encephalitis." 

"Which is?" 

"Swelling of the brain." 

He grimaced this time."Sounds fun."What a way to die-of a big brain. 

"Yeah,"she agreed,sounding resigned to it.No self pity,no regret;it was just the way it was.He had to admit,as much as she was starting to get on his nerves,he liked that.Most people whined and bitched and moaned about things they were helpless in the face of;she simply accepted it,and moved on,determined to go forward as long as she could.You had to respect that kind of pragmatism."I wish I had time to study the structure of the virus more.It seemed to have some kind of organic metallic compound in it.Which is how I knew it was constructed;that doesn't occur naturally.Yet." 

"Organic metallic compound?"He repeated,feeling a curious sinking feeling in his stomach.Why did that almost sound familiar?Shit,it was like a memory remembered just enough to haunt him. 

(Like so damn many of them...) 

"What for?I mean,what could that do?" 

She threw up her hands."Stimulate an auto-immune response?I don't know,Logan;I really have no idea.Which is why I wanted to study it." 

Something...a ghost of a fragment of deja vu lingered at the edges of his mind,but he couldn't grasp it;it remained out of reach,beyond the fringes of memory,floating in that great black abyss in the center of his mind.Organic metal compound in the blood...that meant something to him,he knew it. 

But he didn't know what it meant,or why it did.He almost pounded the steering wheel in frustration,but that would have given it away to Elena that he might have known something,and besides,that's how he broke his last truck. 

After a long moment,she said quietly,"Please,Logan,let me take over.Alex can move up here,and you can get some sleep.You need it." 

"Now look-" 

She interrupted,quietly and quickly,something that seemed to be a complete non-sequitur."Promise me,if anything happens to me between here and there,you'll get Alex up to Nome.Please." 

He looked at her sharply,about to point out that he didn't owe her jack shit.In fact,she owed him a hell of a lot.He'd stuck his neck out- 

-(like it was ever in danger)- 

-for her and her kid and risked his life- 

-(okay,that was never in jeopardy)- 

-and he never had to.She owed him big time.He didn't need to promise her squat. 

But he looked at her,and in the pale dashboard lights her face was a death's head,the hollow pits beneath her eyes and her prominent cheekbones making her look half dead already. 

She was dead.She knew it;he knew it.Even Alex knew it.But she was going to go down fighting.Isn't that the way he wanted to die,if he ever could?Fighting? 

Finally,he said,"Well,she sure as hell ain't comin' with me." 

She seemed to accept that for what it was-an indirect promise.With a nod,she opened his glove compartment,and rooted around in it until she found his road map.She folded it open to the Western Canada and Outer Territories section,and asked, "Where are we?" 

There was no arguing with this woman,was there?Was there arguing with any woman?"We're on the Cassiar Highway,in the Cassiar Mountains,headed for Watson Lake,which is where we might have to keep an eye out for the bad guys." 

"Then why are we headed that way?" 

"Tried to divert,can't.The weather's fucked up the alternate routes."Not that there were many to start with. 

"Why do you think the bad guys will be there?"She said,studying the map and finding his route. 

" 'Cause,if they take the more heavily traveled Alaska Highway-and I'd bet my left nut they are,which is why I skipped it- Watson Lake,over the Yukon border,is where they intersect.Alaska keeps on goin',and Cassiar becomes the Klondike Highway." 

"Hmm,"she said,finding it on the map."You drive this route a lot,don't you?" 

He just shrugged.Wasn't that obvious? 

"There's really no way to avoid it,is there?" 

He shook his head."Once you get south of the sixtieth parallel,it gets pretty rough,darlin'.Pickings are slim.But if we can make it to Whitehorse there's a  small cut through straight to Skagway." 

"Skagway?"She repeated uncomprehendingly. 

"Skagway,Alaska.It's a  small port that sort of hangs off the bottom of the state,but Alaska has a few more roads than the Yukon.We can probably get lost there better.And if they're expecting us to make a border crossing,it'd probably be on the Alaska Highway,up by the main border proper." 

"So Skagway's a back door?" 

He shrugged,then nodded."Yeah,I guess you could say that." 

She suddenly leaned over,scrunching the map,and kissed him on the cheek.He gave her a  startled look,and found her grinning at him."Thank you,Logan.You're a  godsend." 

He snorted humorously,mostly to himself."Hardly." 

She sat back,folding the map into an even smaller rectangle."So,we have no choice but to take the Cassair for now?" 

"Yep." 

"And at this rate,assuming no further delays,we'll be in Watson Lake in..?" 

He had to think about that for a moment."About ten hours." 

She rolled her eyes."Pull over.I'll drive-I can only follow the Cassair,right?-and you go get some rest.Alex can sit up front with me." 

"Elena-" 

"If we have any problems,I'm getting you up,don't worry." 


	5. Part 5

He sighed,too tired to fight,and if that wasn't a sign he was on the verge of passing out he didn't know what was."Okay,but look-"He didn't know how to say it.He figured he'd just plunge in,and hope she didn't ask too many questions."If you have to wake me up,try and keep your distance.Sometimes it takes me a minute to remember where I am." 

She stared at him curiously,and he knew she was going to ask why,but thankfully she thought better of it."Okay."She put the folded map up on the dashboard."You said you were looking for someone,Logan.Who?" 

He wasn't going to tell her,but what did he have to lose?"Me." 

He kept staring straight ahead,so he didn't have to see the look on her face. 

** 

    Voices floated out of the darkness,as flimsy as vapor,a white noise against the electronic bleeps of machines and the drone of power filling the room,thrumming through him.He could barely feel his own body,like an insensate slab of frozen beef, but it was slowly thawing,and he could feel pain creeping in at the horizon of the darkness behind his eyes.He was still incapable of moving,speaking,even opening his eyes. 

"-purpose of this?"He heard one man say.Logan wasn't sure if he or the man was underwater,but it sounded as if one of them was. 

"You know what this will mean,"another man said.He had some kind of accent he thought was American. 

"If it works." 

"It will." 

"The others didn't." 

"The others weren't as impossible to kill as this motherfucker,"the American said smugly."Believe me,we've tried." 

The pain,dull but insistent,was becoming a bright red glow on the fringes of his vision,like summer sun bleeding in through his eyelids.But there was no warmth;he felt so cold,but he couldn't even move enough to shiver.He felt like he was buried under ice. 

He heard noises,footsteps on a metal floor,and the underwater man said,  
"Neuotransmitter activity increasing,adrenaline spiking.What are you giving him?" 

"Nothing." 

There was a pause,and underwater man said,sounding horrified,"What?What do you mean nothing?You can't operate on him without anesthesia." 

"He rejects drugs.As soon as they're given to him once he adapts and they're useless." 

The pain was now a raging fire spreading throughout his body,his nerves feeling like frayed wires,sparking into pools of gasoline.While freezing to death,he was burning alive from the inside out.He was desperate to scream,a pressure building inside his chest,but he was no longer sure he was breathing.He wanted to move,but he couldn't. He wanted to scream,to rage,to fight,to escape,but he couldn't. 

This was hell.He wasn't dead,but he was still in hell. 

(And this was his home now.He was trapped here.He existed only to suffer and never quite die,just hang on the precipice somewhere in between while they flayed him alive,cut his living flesh to pieces.) 

"You can't just cut him open!He's a human being,for Christ's sake!" 

There was a brief pause,and then the American said coldly,"No,he's not." 

Logan jolted awake with a scream,everything in him primed and ready to kill those motherfuckers.He quickly searched the darkness for them,shaking with rage,all the adrenaline dumping into his system making his heart race a thousand miles per second- 

"Logan?"A woman's concerned voice asked behind him. 

He snapped his head around,flinging cold sweat from his forehead,and even though reality seemed to slide sideways for a moment,he realized he was in something moving,something that sounded familiar,smelled familiar,nothing like that cold, sterile,electronic prison where he had been.This placed smelled of him and exhaust, cigar smoke and women and blood. 

Truck.Back of his truck. 

He ran his hands over his sweaty face and wet hair,and remembered it all in a rush. Adrenaline left a familiar,bitter taste in the back of his throat as his heart fluttered in his chest like a panicked bird,and even though small,electric shocks of fear continued to shoot through his system,he was more embarrassed than anything. 

(But he remembered something-but why was it always pain?So much pain...) 

"You scared the shit out of me,"Elena said,turning her attention back to the road.   
"Must have been a hell of a nightmare.I've never heard anyone scream like that." 

"Wasn't a nightmare,it was a memory,"he grumbled,glancing back at them. 

Elena was facing the road,deliberately not looking at him,but Alex was peering over the seat at him.He could only see the crown of her head,her slightly curly black hair a bird's nest,and her hazel eyes wide again,but this time in fear and curiosity more than shock.He gave her a dirty look that had no effect,and turned away,resting his head in his hands. 

He should have never slept,no matter how tired he was.He glanced at his watch,and saw he had been asleep for just about six hours.Long enough. 

He'd slept in his sleeping bag still in his jeans,because he had no desire to undress in front of Alex,and he assumed he might be woken up to fight.While he'd been nude in the snow before,he had no desire to repeat it,even with boxer shorts on. 

He needed to take a piss pretty bad,and he knew he could use a drink (coffee,water, beer-didn't matter;he'd flop sweated away about a pound),but luckily they were about a half mile away from one of the last gas stations before Watson Lake.He had time to pull on a white t-shirt and a red flannel shirt first,and he was prepared to blame his continued trembling on being cold,but either no one noticed,or no one commented on it. 

He knew there hadn't been much traffic through here lately just by the general cleanliness of the men's bathroom,and then he joined Elena and Alex in the small general store attached to the station. 

It was strange,not a bright mini-mart but an actual old store,with wooden shelves and dim lighting,and a slight smell of must that no glass cleaner could ever quite wash away.It was also drafty,and cool enough in the store that they probably didn't need to have a separate refrigerator,but even so,it was warmer than it was out there.He guessed the temperature to be somewhere in the teens;the snow was turning hard as stone. 

Alex was off perusing the juices while Elena was looking over the pre-packaged foods that sold well with truckers on the run and skiiers on the way elsewhere,and he got himself a cup of coffee.The caffeine didn't effect him (a shame),and he thought the stuff tasted way too bitter,but the heat was nice right now;that woke him up if nothing else did. 

He was dumping another packet of sugar in the brownish black liquid when Elena suddenly showed up at his elbow."Want one?"He asked,gesturing with his head to the coffee. 

"Sure."But she moved in closer than she needed to,and whispered,"I'm sorry,Logan." 

He looked at her curiously.Had she dented his truck?"'Bout what?" 

She hesitated,and he noticed for the first time she looked flushed,her cheeks a bright red,her lips a bloody crimson,as if she put on lipstick.But he knew she hadn't.The heat seemed to be radiating off her in waves,and he knew it was just fever.When had she started getting sick?She must have known she would,but took over driving anyways.Finally,she looked up at him with what looked like pity."For whatever they did to you."She put a hand on top of his,and for a single half second, the warmth of her touch was nice.But as soon as the reality of what she said sunk in,he yanked his hand away violently. 

"What-"he began angrily,then stopped.He'd asked her if she had been one of the ones to do that to him at the truck stop;she'd just put two and two together with his screaming nightmares/memories."I don't need your pity,"he snarled,grabbing his coffee and walking away towards the check out,where the old guy who probably owned the store and made up most of the staff was manning it. 

He paid him for the gas,coffee,and whatever food they had grabbed.He just threw a wad of bills on the counter and let the man sort it out.Only after he'd done so did he notice one of the bills had blood splatters on it,but the man never caught it. 

The coffee now tasted like sweet sludge and was absolutely disgusting,but it was warm against the cold outside air,and he figured he could suffer it until he got a beer. 

Once inside the relative safety of his truck,he leaned his forehead against the steering wheel,and considered just driving off and leaving them here.He could-it was relatively safe here,and he owed them nothing. 

He put the keys in the ignition,and was a second away from starting the truck.So what stopped him?He didn't know.But he was still in that curious position-hand on the keys in the ignition,forehead resting on the top of the steering wheel,cup of coffee wedged firmly between his thighs-when the passenger door opened and Elena said,"I wouldn't have blamed you,you know." 

He stared at her,several snarky things coming instantly to mind,when he heard the camper door open,and Alex clamber inside."Blame him for what?"She asked. 

"For taking off and leaving us here."Elena said,climbing in and shutting the passenger door.She had her own cup of coffee,and a snack cake of some kind in cellophane wrap. 

"He wouldn't do that,"Alex answered,with very childlike assurance."He likes fightin' 'em too much." 

That made him snort humorously. 

Damn.How pathetic was he when a kid had his number? 

    7 

Canada-Now 

    "Are you sure about this?"Alex asked,as they looked out on the snow blasted plateau. 

From here on out was an almost completely flat wasteland of snow and permafrost,and ice so thick you'd have to bust through a foot of it before you hit the frozen earth.It was impossible for standard vehicles to traverse this area.There were no roads here-why would there be?It was the arctic equivalent of a desert.This close to the Northwest Territories,wedged between a no man's land of its flat vales and the Caribou Mountain valley,there was no reason for there to be roads out here.The highway diverged elsewhere,towards Yellowknife,towards the more populated area of the Territories,although what passed for 'populated' around here was now funny to Logan.There were more people in Seattle alone than in the entire Northwest Territories. 

But on the horizon,in spite of nightfall and the steel grey layer of snow clouds making a ceiling of the black sky,there were faint pinpricks of lights,probably not visible to those with normal sight.They were the only signs that the building housing Eden Biotechnics unofficial Research and Development lab was straight up ahead,across the snowy plateau. 

And what a wonderful spot for a fortress,Logan mused.Anyone approaching this place would be visible for quite a while,on instruments if nothing else,and attack would be suicide.The satellite photos revealed what looked to be a high fence surrounding the building,probably electrified,and Logan was willing to bet that was all the outer security the building had.It was too cold and too abandoned to warrant sentries of the unautomated variety. 

Breaching the outer perimeter would be easy;all the fun would be waiting for them inside. 

Unless Logan brought them out. 

That was basic battle strategy:make your opponents play your game,and you will have won half the battle. 

"Trust me,I've fought a lot,"he told her.Wasn't that the understatement of a lifetime?"I know what I'm doin'." 

"I just hate to see you get hurt,"she said,biting her lip as she looked towards the ghostly shadow of the building on the horizon. 

He grunted in amusement."I hope they do hurt me.That just pisses me off more."She turned to him with a sceptical frown,and he assured her,"They ain't got nothin' that can take me down.They're not expecting something like me." 

"Someone,"she corrected. 

He shrugged.Didn't matter,whatever she called him.He knew what he was.Sort of."Just stick to the plan.Don't deviate,no matter what's goin' on with me.I can handle myself.You know that better than anyone." 

She nodded,breath leaking like smoke from her nose,making clouds in the air. 

They had abandoned the ATV three fourths of a mile back,and come in on the things they had rented back at the lodge on Stengman's Pass:it was easier than risking the ATV on all this compact snow and ice,where there were no roads,just hope. 

He turned away to get this show under way,sorry Bob and Helga couldn't make it. 

Well,he'd never counted on them,and as always,that was a good thing. 

Suddenly,Alex said,"Hey,Logan,can I ask you something?" 

He shrugged,looking back at her over his shoulder."What?" 

She looked slightly embarrassed,and he knew then it was going to be bad.He should have said no."I've always wondered if...you and my Mom had a...thing."She met his eyes hesitantly,ice crystals freezing in her curly black lashes. 

"A thing?"He repeated,chuckling."When would we have had time to have had a 'thing'?" 

She tried to chuck a hole in the ice with the toe of her boot,but the permafrost was as solid as concrete.She was strong enough she could have made the hole if she really wanted,but why waste the energy?"Well,there was that time-" 

"Your mother was a hell of a lady,"he said,suddenly remembering the smell of blood and death,burnt skin and hair,and always cordite,wafting on the air like a ghost you couldn't quite get rid of.It made his blood boil anew,but he did his best to hold it back,for the moment.He would save the old anger for the soldiers."She fought all the way.I like that in a woman." 

She smiled faintly and nodded,looking back down at the snow."Yeah,she never gave up. I tried to emulate that." 

"You did good." 

She glanced at him from beneath her dark brows,her grimace doubtful and almost painful."Is it stupid for a grown woman to admit she misses her mother sometimes?" 

He shook his head."No.She'd be proud of you,you know." 

"You think?" 

"Yeah.Hell,I'm proud of you-you did better than me." 

At least that made her smile,albeit anemically."You know,she didn't trust a lot of people-for obvious reasons-but she never had any trouble trusting you.I asked her why,and she said because you were a decent man." 

That made him laugh and shake his head."Sure she didn't mean indecent?I get that a lot." 

But she fixed him with a solemn look,and said quietly,her words rising in the air between them like vapor trails:"I think she kind of loved you,Logan." 

It felt like he had ice in his blood.He shook his head vigorously,denying it,and walked away."I hope not,"he said quietly,feeling a twinge of sorrow and pity for a woman who probably would have never given a damn. 

*** 

Canada-1990 

    They stopped less than a mile from Watson Lake,and Logan went ahead on foot to scan the area. 

The snow here was almost knee deep,and he could feel it getting in his boots, melting,making his socks sopping wet.It was fucking uncomfortable,but he wasn't in danger of frostbite-was he ever? 

Over a small hill were trees,mostly scrub pines,clinging desperately to the hillside  
,boughs so heavy with snow and ice the trees looked like they were slouching under the strain. 

Logan smelled the people long before he saw them. 

He told Elena he'd just be doing recon,and then he'd be back to let them know what he did or didn't find,but that was a lie.He planned to take out any motherfuckers he found,and maybe ask a few questions of the survivors. 

The sky was a strange shade of white due to the clouds overhead,mirroring the snowy ground,and he could see and hear everything with a clarity that was almost painful. Boot prints,the crunch of snow under foot,nervous whispers and the crackle of radios,their exhalations leaving contrails in the air. 

It was a group of four men,wearing brown camouflage,perhaps to blend in with the trees,but did it not occur to any of them they stood out like sore thumbs against the overwhelming backdrop of snow? 

They never heard him,never saw him coming. 

There was no need to do anything fancy-the first two he came upon were standing side by side,so he simply grabbed their heads and smashed them into one another.They met with a sickening thud,and as both men fell,the other two turned to see what had happened. 

Logan launched himself at the nearest one,giving him a flat handed hit in the throat that leveled him,sent him falling to the snow,choking and writhing for breath,and the second one managed to fumble out his automatic pistol before he had him. 

Logan ripped the gun from the young man's hand and grabbed him by the lapel of his parka,throwing him violently against the nearest tree.The impact knocked the air out of his lungs and shook wet clumps of snow from the tree,and as he sank to the snow wheezing,trying to get his radio,Logan picked him up by the throat.Not too hard,just enough to get him to his feet and make him think twice about going for the radio. 

"Eden Biotechnics,right?"Logan growled in the man's face.He couldn't have been over twenty four.Right now,he was all terrified,bloodshot eyes,and windburned cheeks. "Where's the rest of people?Where have you set the trap?" 

When the boy got his breath back,he opted for defiance."Who the fuck are you?" 

"The mutie who took out your troops back in Brascomb."He saw a flicker of fearful recognition play across his round,pimpled face."Now spill it,or you'll be pickin' your guts off the ground."The wheezing of the second soldier on the ground faded as he lost consciousness. 

Logan could smell fear coming off him like a bad aftershave,but he wasn't about to give it up to a freak."Go fuck yourself,"the boy spat,trying to sound braver than he felt. 

Logan grinned angrily,rather glad he chose the wrong answer.He let go of the boy's throat,only to put his fist against it."You got 'til the count of three,"he told him."One-"He popped the claw on the right side of the boy's throat,letting it come out slowly,so close that he had to feel the warm metal press against his skin before the tip embedded in the tree trunk behind him.The boy's fear spiked a hundred fold, and he stiffened,but was too scared to move away."-two-"he popped the claw on the opposite side,and this time the claw sliced lightly through the skin on the left side of his throat,drawing up a hair thin line of blood that made the boy so scared he could barely stand the reek.Logan looked the boy straight in the eyes,and gently dug the knuckle of his middle finger into his Adam's Apple."Wanna go for three?" 

The guy was just about pissing himself in fear,his eyes so wide they looked in danger of falling out of their sockets."Please don't kill me.Please-" 

He hated the ones that begged."Tell me what I wanna know," he snapped,his fear as acrid to his nose as vinegar. 

"They're setting up down by the road,a full frontal assault on the truck,'cause the girl will survive any action. Please,I don't want to die-" 

"How many?" 

"Standard assault unit.Twelve in front,twelve on rear guard.Pl-" 

"Were you part of the rear guard?" 

He almost nodded,then remembered the claws bracketing his throat and thought better of it."Yes.The rest are down in the valley." 

"Armaments?" 

"Small arms,some stun grenades.The frontal assault team has a rocket launcher." 

Jesus!They really were serious about taking out his truck weren't they?"And the explosion wouldn't hurt the girl?" Somehow he found that hard to believe,but would it have hurt him?Sure,the burns would have stung for a while-but hadn't he survived an explosion before? 

"If it had,we'd have known she was fatally flawed." 

So survival itself was part of the litmus test.These fucks sounded like they were testing him. 

(Why had he thought that?) 

"Do you know me?" 

The kid,who had pissed himself (hard to tell-fear smelled almost exactly the same), now stared at him in confusion.He must have thought this was a test as well. 

"Wh-what?" 

"Am I one of your projects?Do you know?" 

"N-no,I don't think so.I don't know." 

Logan nodded,disappointed but not all that surprised. 

"Please don't-"the kid began again,but he was tired of listening to this pathetic soldier.He head butted him,knocking him cold,and retracted his claws,so the kid fell unencumbered to the snow. 

Logan heard the radios on the soldiers crackle and hiss,and he looked down the valley,at the icy black ribbon of road,winding towards what had to be a fatal ambush. 

Well,for someone.Not him. 

Logan started down the hill,wondering how big their rocket launcher was as he popped his claws once more,this time all at once. 

** 

    Logan was heading back to the copse,his head only slightly ringing from the blast,when he smelled them on the wind.Even with all the blood,and the smoke starting to roil up from the burning vehicles,he knew their scents. 

"I told you to stay with the truck,"he snapped,turning aside to spit out some blood. It was a livid crimson splash on the blanket of white,but since he just fought twenty soldiers (not exactly all at once,but close),what did he expect? 

Elena emerged from the shadow of a laden tree,one gun drawn,and gave him a weary look merely tinged with a hint of shock."I thought you were only doing reconnaissance." 

He thought about telling her they started it,but oh hell-why?He didn't have to explain himself to her."I lied." 

She rolled her eyes and shook her head,Alex remaining a tree behind her,simply taking in the scene without comment.If it affected her in any way,it wasn't immediately apparent."Logan,you macho dickhead,"Elena said with a sigh,holstering her gun."This is our fight,not yours." 

"Hey,these fucks were planning to take out my truck with a surface to surface missile-it is too my goddamn fight." 

There,that surprised her."They had a missile?" 

"Why d'ya think there's a bonfire down there?" 

One of the soldiers-and weren't they all geniuses?Motherfucking Mensa candidates, each and every one-had decided to try and hit him with the missile once it became clear they hadn't a hope in hell of taking him down.Logan just dove for cover,and the asshole blew up two of their own vehicles.Smooth move Chester.He also managed to put a couple of his own guys out of commission too.That was one hell of a fighting force that Eden Biotechnic had put together there.Couldn't burn a tick off a dog's ass with a blow torch. 

The look Elena gave him was one of measured horror."Did you set it off?" 

He scowled at her,ready to proclaim that yes he had,when Alex said,with the confidence of a genuine witness,"They tried to use it on him." 

The horror remained on Elena's face,her bloodshot eyes almost shiny with fear."Oh my god,is that true?" 

He shifted his scowl to Alex,farther away than and a bit behind her mother."Usin' that telepathy of yours finally?" 

Even Alex looked weary,shivering in her oversized parka,which was so large it looked like it was trying to swallow her."I'm not a telepath." 

"Bullshit.You sent me that extremely loud S.O.S.,remember?" 

"She's a pseudo-telepath,"Elena explained."If she concentrates she can send,but she can't read anyone's mind.You could call it a vestigial telepathy,never fully formed." 

One of her 'flaws',he bet,but not enough to qualify as fatal?"Like a broken radio, she can only send not receive?" 

"Hey,"Alex protested."I am not a broken radio." 

"No,but it's a fair enough analogy,"Elena admitted,giving her 'daughter' a sympathetic grimace. 

"How'd you know they tried to nail me with their Roman candle if you weren't readin' my mind?"Logan wondered,as he entered the copse.As he passed Elena,he could smell as well as feel the heat coming off of her,but it wasn't so bad now.Maybe the cold was helping keep her temperature down. 

Alex shrugged her small shoulders,lips twisting in a minor grimace."I guessed.After you took out their helicopter,I bet they freaked big time when they saw you." 

Elena grabbed his arm to stop him."You took out their helicopter?" 

He frowned evilly at Alex,who only said,"Well,you did!" 

He was really regretting not leaving them at that truck stop outside Watson Lake now.Things were so much easier when he rarely had to talk to anybody. 

** 

    Maybe it was the lack of decent sleep,or the sudden overabundance of asses to kick,but Logan decided he really,desperately needed a beer. 

By the time night had closed in,the weather had gotten worse.More snow had come in, and while it was far from a blizzard,it had dumped a half inch of powder in less than three hours,and the rising North wind had given it a hard crust of ice so the roads quickly became a skating rink.Even for the Yukon-well,this part-it was freakish.Driving became close to impossible-when the wind kicked the snow up, visibility dropped to maybe three feet-and finally that and his desperate craving for a beer made him pull off in the closest thing to a town they could find out here,in the official ass end of nowhere. 

At least the good news was there was no way in hell someone could fly a chopper in this weather. 

They were temporarily stuck in a place called Seaton,a speedbump of a town that registered on few maps,and wasn't so much a town as a random collection of buildings huddled against the winter snows and overall nothingness. 

Most of the buildings were private homes,bought by pipeline workers who wanted to keep their distance from others,with a few small businesses that catered to them and any travelers accidentally waylayed by the weather. 

There was a bar,Gilroy's,but it doubled as a sort of restaurant/communal meeting place,so it was crowded,filled with the smells of too many people in an enclosed space,and to make it worse,the ratio of those people were eight to one men.But that was not a shock:the farther North you went,the more women became an endangered species.It was well known that Alaska had a 'female shortage',but even they had more than the Yukon and the Northwest Territories.The landscape,especially during the spring and summer,could be lovely,and the peace was incredible,but these places were wastelands,and living here was hard,verging on brutal,especially in the winter.Logan figured it either meant women were smarter,or simply had less to run from than most of the men who lived here. 

He sat at one of the few open tables near the back,with Elena and Alex,who garnered a few looks,but not many.The men who openly stared got a glare from Logan that seemed to take every single nasty thought out of their heads.Which was a good thing for them,but not only because he could kick all their asses.Alex was a theoretically indestructible mutant,and Elena was packing enough heat to take on the F.B.I.-they'd be lucky if they just faced him. 

He finally got his beer,while both Elena and Alex stuck to soda,and split a platter of french fries.The t.v. on in the back was too loud,broadcasting weather reports from the CBC,but as annoying as it was,it guaranteed no one would be able to eavesdrop on their conversation. 

"So who's the head cheese of Eden?"Logan wondered,savoring the slightly bitter taste of the beer.He had to admit,the fries smelled good too;well,better than the thick bodied pipeline workers,truckers,loggers,and drifters who otherwise filled the place.They could all be grouped into a category of alcohol soured body odor and stale cigarette smoke.The Yukon male uber-smell. 

Elena sighed,dunking a french fry into a small puddle of ketchup on the far side of the plate."Barton Perevil is the supposed President,but there seems to be a huge financial tie to Esmail al-Saud." 

Logan shook his head."You say it like I should know it." 

"Would Prince al-Saud make it more familiar?" 

He thought about it for a moment,thinking it was passingly familiar-something he'd heard before-but not something he really knew."Not really." 

"He's the crown prince and ruler of the country of Rhajan." 

It took him a moment,but he finally placed it."Oh,one of those Indonesian islands." 

She nodded."Wealthy as sin on oil money,and stable due to its regular economy and religious homogeny." 

Finally,it started to come together in Logan's mind."Perevil?That name's kinda familiar too." 

She nodded,nibbling her french fry like a carrot stick."Oil man,connected to Global Petrol International." 

This almost made sense.Almost.But it was like a strange puzzle where putting it together was only half of the solution."So,oil money is bankrolling Eden Biotechnics?" 

She hesitated before she answered,using the time to finish her fry."Actually,big business is bankrolling Eden-nearly every name on its board of directors was connected to some huge corporation or another." 

"That smacks of conspiracy,doesn't it?" 

She nodded."I think it is.But what I don't get is why they'd want a bunch of super soldiers." 

"Asswad probably wants 'em as a private palace guard or somethin',to protect his coddled butt when the peasants figure out they really got a raw deal,and monarchies are so nineteenth century." 

"al-Saud." 

He shrugged,stealing one of their french fries."Whatever." 

Elena gave him a "you damn smart ass" look,but didn't comment on it further."His angle is easy to figure.The complicated part is what Perevil and the rest could want out of this.They don't have oil money dependent pseudo-democracies on the line." 

The fry was good-hot,crisp,salty,probably a real one as opposed to a bulk frozen variety-and he took another one as he tried to think up a plausible scenario.Even over the shouting of a reporter on the television,sent to a windy mountain pass to report on road closures,he heard someone put "New Orleans Is Sinking" on the radio.A cacophony,but he liked the music;a rare,genuinely gritty blues rock song by a bunch of extremely white Canadians.But he had to listen to it a couple of times before he realized the chorus began:"My memory is muddy,what's this river that I'm in?"It made him wonder if his subconscious liked to play sick jokes on itself. 

He dipped his newly stolen fry in the ketchup,and said,"They must want to protect themselves from something-a private army to protect their holdings overseas?" 

She considered that a moment,lips curving downward slightly as she thought, occasionally glancing at the crowd around them in case anyone revealed themselves to be hostile.But Logan was sure he'd know if anyone after them turned up;he had some sort of instinctual radar he learned to never question.If he had a feeling things were going to get ugly,or someone was looking for trouble,he was always right.Maybe that was his version of a sixth sense. 

"But they can do that with mercenaries." 

It was then something clicked in his head,a key piece of the puzzle finally falling into place."Not against mutants.Look at how those fucks crumble before me." 

Elena froze,fry raised half way to her mouth,staring at him with great shock."Oh shit,"she gasped,when she could finally speak. 

"Usin' mutants to protect them from other mutants,"he grumbled,as a sour feeling settled into his gut.It sounded familiar somehow-why did that sound familiar? 

For a moment,their eyes locked,and they just stared at each other across the table. He suddenly wondered if she was thinking that that explained what he was-a mutant made to fight other mutants. 

Did it? 

"What about those drug dart thingies?"Alex suddenly interjected,breaking the tension. 

"What?"He asked her. 

"You said,back at the first truck stop,that they brought drug dart guns for me."Alex said,pretending there hadn't been any tension just a moment before."But everything just bounces off me.Why did they think a needle would get through?" 

That was a good point he couldn't believe he had missed."Nothin' gets through your skin?"He glanced at Elena for confirmation. 

"Not that we can tell,"Elena answered. 

"What about adamantium?I can cut through stuff most people think is impenetrable." 

Elena and Alex exchanged an uneasy glance."I hadn't thought of that,"Elena admitted sheepishly. 


	6. Part 6

"Let's see,"Alex said,holding her hand out across the table."Cut me." 

He sat back,doing a slight double take."Huh?Here?" 

"No,"Elena exclaimed,grabbing her hand. 

But Alex pulled it free,and said,"C'mon,Logan,just prick my finger.Try,at least." 

"I could slice it off if I'm right,"he told her,noticing Elena's disapproving look out of the corner of his eye. 

Alex didn't look convinced."Give me your hand,"she said,bossy like her 'mom'. 

Reluctantly,he did,and she put her fingertips on his knuckles,right where his claws emerged."Just ease one out,if you can.I'll tell you if I feel it." 

"Be very careful,"Elena said,looking only at him. 

He nodded,and with obvious reservations,slowly releasing the claw of his index finger.It had barely broken his skin when Alex hissed in sudden pain and jerked her hand away.She held her right hand tightly in her left,and looked at her mother with wide,surprised eyes."He cut me." 

A tiny teardrop of blood was welling on the tip of her index finger;only the very tip of his claw had poked through her skin, but that was enough to prove the point. 

Sudden anxiety etched lines into Elena's face-her daughter was not quite as safe as she thought. 

She examined her cut finger,and wrapped a paper napkin around it."Do they make adamantium bullets?" 

Logan could only shrug as he pulled his hand off the table,claw completely retracted inside his skin.Only a tiny spot of blood indicated the skin had ever been broken."I don't know.I wouldn't think so.It's a pretty expensive alloy,right?" 

Elena nodded in agreement,looking only slightly relieved."I imagine you could only give them to someone you knew was a crack shot." 

"But they don't want me dead,right?"Alex said hopefully,looking between them for reassurance. 

"Not so f-"Logan began. 

"No,"Elena interrupted,giving him a "play along or I'll rip your testicles out through your nose" sort of glare. 

He frowned at her,thinking 'Just try it,sister',but he relented,letting her coddle the kid if only for the moment.In the long run,it wasn't going to help her out at all,but if she wanted Alex to think everything was hunky dory,hey,her choice. 

"Well,as it is,"Logan commiserated,having another swig of his beer."These guys are such incompetent morons,a bunch a drunken monkeys could've done a better job taking you guys down." 

"They were expecting just me,"Elena pointed out.Her shoulders sagged wearily,and for the first time,he noticed tiny beads of sweat at her hairline,turning her pale hair a darker brown.He'd been smelling the fever on her all night,but it was so much a part of her scent now he basically ignored it."You're a variable they didn't expect." 

He shrugged a single shoulder,and for some reason felt compelled to say,"Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition." 

"Huh?"Alex asked. 

But Elena cracked a reluctant smile."Quit trying to make me laugh.My point is they weren't prepared for you-who was?-back in B.C.,and even today that had to be some ill prepared scramble team.The next group we face will be better armed, and expecting you if not precisely prepared for you." 

He finished his beer and put the empty glass on the table,slumping back in his chair."Bring 'em on.'Sides,with the weather working against 'em,and them probably figuring we're going for the main border,I kinda doubt we'll be seeing their lame asses again." 

This time she broke eye contact,glancing down at the water stained tabletop,anxiety bringing the sharp planes of her face into greater focus."I don't know how,Logan,but they always find us.Always.I can't believe that's going to stop now." 

"You been usin' a credit card?" 

She glanced back up at him,her expression stony."Of course not.I'm not an idiot." 

"She's not even a brunette,"Alex interjected,crunching an ice cube from her drink. 

Elena rolled her eyes,and Logan got the idea this had been a matter of conjecture between them.Someone-probably Alex-voted against the brown color."I've changed my appearance as best as I could.Alex just stays covered up,which isn't hard in this weather.Although I suppose a Caucasian woman with a black child is always going to draw some attention." 

Logan looked at Elena's face closely,and could see she had been pretty before the illness started working on her.She was probably near forty (although a well aged forty),but her eyes looked ancient.And that was when he noticed her straw colored eyelashes;he'd noticed them before,but assumed it was mascara."You're a natural blonde?Shit-I've never met one of those before." 

She smiled faintly,glancing down at the table again,and he thought he saw a slight blush in her ashen cheeks.Was she actually blushing,or was it just a flush from the fever?"I guess we're a rare breed.But I can change a light bulb." 

"She can also resequence RNA factors,"Alex added cheerfully. 

Logan simply nodded."That'd be doubly impressive if I knew what the fuck that meant." 

Finally,Elena did laugh,and for some reason,that felt like a minor victory. 

** 

    There was a single place in Seaton that acted like a hotel,but it wasn't;it looked like some kind of communal shelter,maybe an old boarding house,but its few rooms were booked.A lot of people were stranded by the weather (sixteen-sixteen was a lot in Seaton),and the place,as astoundingly crappy as it was,filled up fast. 

Still,an old woman who looked as tough as rawhide (and probably was to be living out here) agreed to take Alex and Elena in for the night;she usually opened her small,Victorian style home as a bed and breakfast in the summer anyways,so she had the room.But from the way she continued to glare icy death at Logan,he figured he wasn't wanted-maybe she thought he was 'shifty'-and her rather prudish nature sealed the deal,as she said she had rooms for Alex and Elena upstairs (she emphasized "single rooms",making him wonder how couples stayed at her bed and breakfast-in separate rooms?Well,that could probably help a lot of relationships),but for some reason,the only room she had for him was in the basement.He said thanks but no thanks-he had always intended to stay with his truck.He was not banging Elena (a shame),no matter what the old woman thought,and finding rooms was for them only.He didn't mind the cold (well,to a certain degree),and he preferred to have the peace of his trailer all by himself.He missed that;he missed being responsible for only himself,and doing what the fuck he wanted whenever he wanted.As he had been doing for the past couple of years. 

Could you actually be in a rut if you were technically homeless and jobless?What a weird paradox. 

He kept the propane heater on low,mainly so the engine wouldn't freeze over,and slid into his sleeping bag in the back of his camper,listening to the hiss of the wind outside,accompanied by the soft noise of snowflakes sliding along the metal skin of the trailer and the truck.He wondered if normal people could hear that,or if only he could.How would he ever know?And was it good or bad? 

He had just pulled one of the spare blankets over him and closed his eyes when he realized he could hear footsteps crunching in the snow.Faint,but growing louder-and coming this way. 

He was parked around the way from the old lady's house,so the truck wouldn't be immediately visible from what passed for the main street,but even so that was just his natural paranoia at work.He didn't expect any trouble at all tonight:he'd taken out the 'advance' team,and the weather was fucking up everyone's plans.He'd even stripped down to his shorts,figuring his goddamn nightmares would wake him up long before dawn.Fucking hell-it was always something. 

He got out of his bedroll and leaned over the front seat of the cab,craning his neck to look out the window and see his opponent.The windows were nearly opaque with snow already,but he was able to see through an incomplete frost on the   
right hand side:a single figure,slender,wrapped in dark clothing.Could be anyone,packing any kind of weapon,but he thought the walk of the person struggling against the wind and ankle deep snow was familiar. 

He pulled the blanket around him,and opened the trailer door just as she reached it.He huddled in the blanket against the sudden gust of arctic air and icy snow that threatened to blow the door off its hinges."What?" 

Elena reached up,and he helped her up into the trailer,glad to finally slam the door against the hostile weather."That's a happy greeting,considering I didn't wake you up,"she said,lowering the hood of her parka.Even in the dim light cast off by the rear porch light,bleeding through the snow dusted windshield,he could see dark crescents beneath her eyes-she was literally sick and tired."Is something wrong?"He sighed.When he was reminded Elena was sick,he felt like a bully for getting ticked off at her. 

"Yes,"she replied."You sleeping out here like a dog in his house.Come inside.Screw the old lady." 

"I'd rather not,"he replied,sitting back down on his sleeping bag.He was genuinely tired,and didn't care if she knew it."I'm good here,okay?I wanted to sleep in here.I planned to.So you can go now with a clear conscience." 

She crouched down,sitting up against the wall.Almost in the exact same spot where he had sewed her gunshot wound shut. "Why,Logan?The house is warmer.You may actually get to sleep on a bed for a change." 

"Hey,I sleep in a lot of beds,and not alone either.What are you implyin',exactly?"He had a feeling she had some sort of point; he just didn't know what. 

For a moment she just stared at him,and he found it impossible to interpret her expression.Tired and...what?It was bugging him that he couldn't figure it out."Is it your first name or your last?" 

Okay,did he fall asleep and miss a conversational s-curve?"What?" 

"Logan." 

She'd changed the subject with a whiplash rapidity.She must have decided that what she was going to say would piss him off. But what she didn't know was this topic was no better."Both."At her raised eyebrow,he said simply,"Look,I don't know.Pick one." 

After a long moment,filled by the hiss and howl of the snow and wind outside,she finally said,"If you run from something and you're never sure what,how do you ever know when to stop?" 

If she kept pissing him off,he'd never get any sleep."I ain't runnin'-look,would you just get the fuck out of here?I'm doin' you a favor,lady;I don't have to explain anything to you." 

"No,you don't,"she agreed,much to his surprise."I guess I just think it's a shame you stick to the fringes." 

Man,did she ever make a single bit of sense?"What the fuck does that mean?" 

"It means you shouldn't avoid people.I'd be the last to say they're all good-I don't have to tell you they're not-but..."she grimaced slightly,embarrassed,and ran a hand through her driftwood hued hair."It seems weird for me to say this,but you are. A good man." 

He snorted derisively."I kill people." 

That made her flinch slightly."So far,it's been self-defense,as far as I can tell.Or defense of us.And unlike those soldiers after us,I have yet to see you hurt someone not in the fight." 

"So what's your fucking point?"He snapped irritably. 

"You don't have to allow yourself to be treated like this,and you certainly don't have to treat yourself this way." 

"Treat myself what way?"He asked,chuckling slightly in frustrated anger.He hated being psychoanalyzed."Hey,I like bein' alone.I don't like people.They'll stab you in the back and sell you out for a fuckin' nickel.Why would I want a single fucking thing to do with those assholes?" 

"So why help us?" 

He shook his head,sighing at her pigheaded stubbornness."You were my means for getting at the soldiers.Can't you get that through your fucking head?!You're nothing to me." 

Her expression didn't change."You got hurt bad,didn't you?" 

His eyes narrowed to deadly slits,and he could hear the roar of blood in his ears overtaking the outside howling of the wind. She had no idea what thin ice she was treading here."Get the fuck outta here,before I do somethin' you'll regret." 

Elena wasn't in the least bit scared,which proved he had been too easy on her."Not without you.Come back with me,Logan." 

He glared at her,almost shaking with rage.He didn't know why what she had said had pissed him off so much;maybe it was the meanings between the words,the things she didn't say."Why?Maybe you just want me to go back with you,huh?" 

He'd been hoping to scare her out that way if no way else,but to his (welcome) shock,she said,"Maybe I do." 

His growing anger was muted by confusion.He could usually tell when women were attracted to him-he never got that vibe from her.He leaned in close to her,so she would feel cornered-if she was bullshitting,the fear would come through now. "Really?What are you waitin' for,darlin'?An invitation?" 

But she met his eyes without even blinking,and he didn't get a single sense of fear."Maybe I am." 

He kissed her,and braced for the slap that was sure to follow.But that didn't happen.She responded with a kiss of her own, passionate and hungry,and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. 

It was then,sliding his own arms around her,underneath her heavy jacket,that he realized how feverish she was.She was radiating heat like an oven,and he could feel moisture-some melted snow,mostly sweat-making her clothes stick to her like cellophane.He could almost taste the virus,and wondered if she was delirious. 

Her hands moved down his spine,the skin so hot it seemed to sear,and he pulled back from her to ask,"Are you okay?El,you're burning up." 

She didn't quite look at him before she buried her face against the side of his neck,clinging to him so tightly it was like she was trying to drain all the warmth from his body.Maybe she was;in spite of the heat she was giving off,he could feel her shivering."I'm so tired,Logan,"she said,a catch in her voice like a muffled sob. 

He thought she was going to start crying,but while he felt warm beads of water trailing down his chest,he was pretty sure that was just sweat.She was too tired to even cry. 

It wasn't just physical exhaustion,although that must have factored into it.She was tired of fighting what had to be a losing battle,tired of being afraid and alone and not able to trust a single living soul.And didn't he know how that was? 

(No,he did not,damn it!) 

He stroked her damp hair,and told her,"It's almost over."That was the most comforting thing he could think to say. 

After a long moment where her body leaned so heavily against him he wondered if she had passed out,she finally raised her head."I'm not sure it will ever be over.I mean,I'll be dead,sure,but what happens to Alex then?" 

She was going to make him say it,wasn't she?He did,if only to get it over with."I'll get her to Alaska,Elena.No matter what." 

She nodded,water welling in her eyes.He wasn't sure if they were unshed tears or a part of her illness."I know you will."She moved her hand up to his face,hot skin scraping against the stubble on his right cheek."I wish we'd met before now." 

"We'd never have given each other a second glance,"he told her.The truth was usually brutal. 

She nodded in agreement,which didn't surprise him anymore.The fever may have unhinged her slightly,but she was still a pragmatist at heart."Our loss,"she said,and kissed him again,softly this time.Well,for a few seconds. 

He knew she probably wasn't in her right mind,and he also knew she probably wasn't all that attracted to him,but she wanted to have sex at least once before she died.Still,who was he not to be obliging? 

It was also a good way to forget how sorry he felt for her and himself,if only for a little while. 

    8 

Canada-Now 

    The snowmobile slid over the field as gracefully as a skater on an ice rink,hitting the snowdrifts at fast enough speeds to make them explode into clouds of white powder as it shot inexorably towards the fortress in the distance.It was almost impossible to see,made of grey materials that blurred into the arctic sky as perfectly as an optical illusion. 

Logan could hear the electrical hum of the fence within fifty feet,and glanced down at the snowmobile.Fiberglass body,right? Didn't conduct electricity.Of course,he did,but he'd had worse than a few thousand volts put through him and come out in one piece. 

He had the machine at full throttle,which worked out to a piddling sixty five miles an hour,but for a snowmobile that was absolutely flying. 

He had a feeling he had been made within twenty five feet of the fence,which was pretty sad-they should have had him long before then. 

He saw the gate,eight feet high and chained together,and he chuckled to himself.Was that the best they could do?He should have told Alex to sit this one out-this was going to be too fucking easy. 

As soon as the snowmobile hit the gate at full speed,it burst apart like it was made of glass,and Logan felt the tingle of electricity as it crawled along his skin,saw it spark blue in the air,tasted it in his mouth,but even as the engine briefly sputtered it didn't slow him down in the least. 

Even though the body of the snowmobile was fiberglass,the electricity arcing through him,no matter how briefly,had shorted something out in the engine;it was struggling,and he could smell smoke.So he slewed the snowmobile around in the center of Eden's open courtyard,grabbing tightly to the handlebars as his legs clung with a vise like intensity to the sides of the vehicle as inertia threatened to throw him off,but he was stronger than even that inevitable force,and remained where he was until he killed the engine. 

He was off it like a shot,stalking across the snow towards the main building,and was not surprised when bullets peppered the ground around his feet,pockmarking the snow.If any hit him,he didn't notice. 

"Freeze!"Someone shouted,trying to sound as brave and manly as possible. 

Soon the courtyard was full of men in familiar grey outfits,shivering against the cold as their breath came out in white clouds and they leveled long and formidable looking guns at him,fanning out around him in a semi-circle.There were twelve around him,and two soldiers on the flat roof,aiming sniper rifles down at him. 

He grinned,growling in a sort of amused anger."Is this the best you got?" 

When he popped his claws,several of them jumped in shock,and they all opened fired as he charged them,roaring in triumphant rage. 

*** 

Canada-1990 

    For the first time in a while,he wasn't woken up by a nightmare. 

It took Logan a moment to figure out what had woken him up,and he threw back the covers,aware he was far too hot.  
And that's when he realized why. 

The air in the back of the trailer was dry and cool,the propane heater barely functioning,but under the blankets it was as hot as a furnace,because he was sharing them with Elena.She smelled hot and dry,like desert sand,her pale skin touched with a blush of roses that had absolutely nothing to do with a healthy complexion,and everything to do with her body fighting a losing battle against foreign invaders.She was sleeping so peacefully she looked dead;simply the heat of her body had woken him up. 

"El,"he said quietly,laying the back of his hand against her forehead.She was now like an ember,and he wondered how high a fever could get before it became lethal.He didn't know.As far as he knew,he'd never even had a fever."Elena,"he said,louder this time,but there was no acknowledgment at all,not even a flicker behind her eyelids.She was breathing,and she had to be alive to be putting out heat like that,but couldn't high fevers result in brain damage?Or was that just for kids? 

"Shit shit shit,"he cursed,hastily getting dressed.It was bad enough being stuck with a kid-was El now little more than a vegetable? 

As soon as he felt dressed enough to stand the weather,he found a shred of the shirt he tore up earlier,and opened the door, stepping out into the icy morning.It was no longer snowing,and the sky had that muted,curious white glow typical before and after snowstorms,where the sun tried and failed to break through a thick cloud layer that smothered the sky like a heavy blanket. 

The snow was a couple inches past ankle deep,and the single digit temperatures had made it as hard as rock,at least on the surface,but Logan had no trouble breaking through.He laid the strip of cloth down on the snow,and scooped some clean snow into it before carefully picking it up and bringing it back into the trailer.There was no one around this early in the morning to observe his strange behavior. 

He laid the snow laden cloth on Elena's forehead,and was not  surprised to see most of it start to melt instantly,the water dribbling down her face and into her hair.She awoke with a slight jolt,eyes snapping open,hand immediately going up.He thought she was going to touch her forehead,but she instantly grabbed his bicep,squeezing so hard it felt like she had grasped him to keep from falling off a cliff. 

"Logan,"she gasped,eyes searching the trailer like she was trying to figure out where she was."I feel so strange." 

He just bet."Listen,I have a plan.There's a hospital in Whitehorse.I can drop you off there,and take Alex to Nome.Afterwards I'll come back for you."They both knew there was little chance she would be there-or be alive-when he got back,but there was a good chance they'd be more interested in getting Alex as opposed to their rogue Doctor. 

She shook her head,but carefully,so the cloth didn't slide off."They can't do anything for me.Thank you,Logan,but I can make it." 

"No you can't,"he told her,not unkindly."You're too sick." 

"I've been sick for a long time,"she pointed out.Her lips were so dry he could see them starting to crack."Morning's are the worst.If you can get me something to drink,I'll be okay." 

"It's gonna take more than a drink." 

Her eyes were bloodshot and glassy with fever,but she was cognizant enough for anger to flash through them at lightning speed."Fine.Not okay,but functional." 

He frowned down at her,but found it difficult to be truly angry.She was dying,and they both knew it.But he didn't feel like dragging her along if she was dead weight."If you can't keep up,you shouldn't come with,"he said finally,feeling like a heel. But hell,he was being realistic."At this rate,we can't afford any further slow downs." 

Her hand on his arm became gentle,still radiating heat like a flame."I know.And the moment I'm dead weight,I'll excuse myself from all of this.But I want to keep going as long as I can.You can understand the need to go out fighting." 

But usually you need to be able to stand up to fight,he thought,but didn't say.And he could understand her need to go out swinging,even if it was mostly self-delusion at this point.Shit.How in the hell could he be a sucker for a sob story?He thought he was better than that."El-"he began,but she didn't let him finish. 

"I have one more good day left in me,Logan.I've trusted you,and now it's your turn to trust me." 

Did she know what she was asking him?Trust wasn't something he was good at,or wanted to get accustomed to again.But,to be fair,it wasn't normal for her either.She had risked herself and her 'child' trusting him.Could he not extend half as much faith to her? 

He had no faith in people;he was not sure he ever had.But he was not about to kick her out now.He wondered if this made him soft. 

With a weary sigh,he sat back on his heels,Elena's hand sliding off his arm."I'll go in and get Alex.I'll convince the old bat you came out to see me this morning and took a turn for the worse.Alex'll probably have to convince her I'm not some crazed serial killer holding the both of you hostage,but that'll take a while.Think you can get dressed by then?" 

She nodded carefully."Maybe I can even be on my feet by then.I'll be ok-"She stopped and corrected herself."I'll be coping." 

He wasn't sure he believed that,but he wasn't about to argue with her. 

Sometimes belief-no matter how insane-was all you had. 

** 

    Elena was good to her word.After having a pointless discussion with the old bat for what seemed like an eternity (although it was probably just five or ten minutes),Elena came to the back door,and proved herself to be alive and well. 

Okay,not exactly well;death warned over was more like it.Her roses and cream complexion was simply too off,betraying some patina of un-wellness that was hard to pin down. 

She was wearing her police parka open,and underneath it she was just wearing one of his flannel shirts-no other layers.She should be freezing (and she was-she was shivering violently),but she refused to come in from the cold.Logan understood she was trying to use the deep chill to keep her own body temperature down. 

The old lady was worried about her,unaware that Elena had been quite that ill.She told them of a medical clinic down the road, in a place with the comical name of Fork (that wasn't what he thought she said at first,thanks to her slight lisp),and Logan happily lied and told her they were headed there now. 

The woman was sympathetic enough to give them some breakfast for the road-oatmeal biscuits,hot coffee in one thermos and beef stew in another (as she admitted not a traditional breakfast,but hot and hearty,which was what you needed in this weather) -and was adamant that Elena eat some before they reached the clinic:"Starve a cold,feed a fever." 

Logan thought he'd heard that phrase the other way around,but either way it was probably bullshit,so what did it matter? 

As they left,Elena grabbed his arm and leaned her head against him,like they were a couple or something.He figured she was doing it to keep the old woman from thinking he was some sort of crazed maniac holding them against their will,but he soon realized she may have been doing it simply to stay on her feet.He had to help her up into the truck,and he could feel the sweat soaking through his (well,hers now) shirt. 

Alex must have known her mother was dying.She was a complete chatterbox for the first part of the drive,only pausing when eating the breakfast the three of them shared (except the coffee-he and El shared that,and he had very little),telling them the stories the old woman must have told her while putting the breakfast together.But Logan could smell the fear coming off the girl,hear it in her hesitations,and Elena must have picked up on it eventually,because she started trying to comfort the girl in oblique ways.He wondered-not for the first time-how he ended up in the middle of this soap opera. 

The only thing they stopped for in Fork was gas,and Elena went into the back to sleep a bit more.Alex sat up front with him, but didn't talk much,just tried to find something on the radio and remained cloistered in her own dark thoughts.He didn't bother to try and comfort her,because words couldn't mean much to her now.And he didn't know what to say. 

By the time dusk settled in,turning the sky the color of concrete,Elena was back up front with him.Alex was in back,but she seemed to have exhausted her topics of conversation.Or she was too depressed. 

Logan had taken shortcuts and side roads towards Whitehorse,so even if the assholes had managed to forge through the weather,they'd have no idea where to cut them off at the pass. 

Or so was the theory. 

They were in a pretty part of the Yukon now-well,truth be told,a lot of it was pretty,as long as you liked bleak,snowy vistas.In the summer,it was fields full of multicolored wildflowers and tiny waterfalls cascading down rocky hillsides,a real picture postcard sort of place.But for great chunks of the year it was just this,endless expanses of white,filled with skeletal trees or evergreens that looked like they were huddling against themselves in a vain effort to escape the cold. 

Elena seemed a little more energetic,but that wasn't really saying much.Still,there was enough quiet that Logan felt the vibration in the windows and heard the hum,familiar and unbelievable. 

"No fucking way,"he exclaimed,pressing the gas pedal down as far as he dared on this icy,winding road. 

"What is it?"Elena asked,concerned. 

"There's a chopper on our ass.They've found us," 

"What?"She sounded disbelieving,and glanced out the windows in an attempt to corroborate."That's impossible.How-" 

"You said it yourself-they always find you."He had to slow down on the turn ahead-no choice;it was an extremely deep curve,and to hit it at eighty miles an hour was just asking to go off the road and tip over-and he asked,"Did you ever check Alex for any tracking devices?" 

She gave him another one of those annoyed,angry looks,like she was his wife or something."Of course I did.She's clean." 

"Are you sure?It could be anything.It could look like a tooth filling or something metallic...maybe even implanted in bone." 

"What did you just say?"Her voice had dropped an octave,like she'd just had some horrible insight. 

"A tooth filling,something-"Only then did he understand what he had said,and what Elena must have just realized.He looked at her,his stricken gaze a weak mimic of her own."-metallic." 

The virus had a strange organic metal component.And,if he was right,it was only since Elena had gotten sick that they'd been on their trail. 

The virus wasn't just to weaken and kill her.It was also a way to keep track of her.And the sicker she got,the more the virus reproduced,the easier she was to find. 

Son of a bitch.He didn't know if that was pure genius or just fucking evil. 

There was a small,snow covered rise blocking the view of anything ahead of the curve of the road,but he could see black smoke pouring up into the slate sky,and knew they had set up some sort of burning barricade ahead,maybe a faked car accident.Rather than brake,which would cause an out of control skid,he simply turned the steering wheel hard to the left, making an illegal u-turn.The tires slid a bit on ice,but he expected it and never lost control. 

"What are you doing?"Elena asked,as she slid hard down the seat and nearly fell into his lap.She managed to stop her slide by grabbing the dashboard. 

"They got us cut off,so I'm takin' us off road." 

"There's nowhere to go off road,"she argued."We're surrounded by hillsides and forests and cliffs." 

"Yeah,"he agreed,nodding."We make a run for it,into the forest.Lead them there." 

"And then what?" 

"And then I take them out.They don't know how to fight in that terrain,but I do." 

"You know how to fight everywhere,"Alex contributed from the back. 

He shrugged:it was true enough."It's a gift." 

He pulled the truck off to the side,half way up a rather shallow incline.From the way the back of the truck slid and fishtailed, he knew it could go no farther."Right,let's go.We'll break up to start and meet in the forest;three separate trails will confuse them." 

"If I stay here,you'll have a better shot,"Elena said somberly. 

He shook his head."Ain't leavin' you behind.We all go." 

"Yeah,"Alex agreed,sounding slightly shaken.Perhaps she was shocked to hear she was the tracking device,or freaked out that her mother actually offered to stay behind and get killed. 

"But I'm the beacon they're following." 

"If we're right,"he pointed out. 

She gave him a look that said "you know we are",but otherwise she said nothing,just shook her head. 

"And I want you to lead them to me,"he continued."Stay on a parallel course close to me.Alex,head out farther,go deeper into the woods,okay?" 

"Okay."The girl hastily agreed.Anything so she didn't have to leave her mother behind. 

He killed the engine,ripped out the keys and put them in his pocket as the unseen helicopter made another pass."Ready?"He asked,glancing between Elena and Alex. 

"Ready,"Alex responded. 


	7. Part 7

Elena simply nodded,a far away look in her eye.In retrospect,he thought that should have been the sign something was up. 

They all got out of the truck at the same time,and once outside Logan could hear all the soldiers closing in on them,smell the acrid,gasoline fueled smoke up ahead,hear the trucks moving into position on the road behind,attempting to box them in. 

Alex took off for the cluster of trees at the top of the rises,and Logan hung back just a moment,as Elena seemed to be struggling,the nearly knee deep snow too much like quicksand for her in her current condition."Gonna make it?"He asked. 

She met his eyes,and he saw a steely resolve that,in hindsight,he realized he completely misinterpreted."I'll be fine.Good luck." 

He thought that was an odd thing to say.Later,he would understand it was a goodbye."Yeah,you too."He then pointed up the rise,and said,"I'm goin' this way.Stay about ten to twenty feet out.I'll find you." 

She nodded,and he thought she kept her hand on his arm a beat longer than she had to."See?I told you you were a good man." 

He snorted derisively."I just wanna kick these guy's asses away from my truck."He then headed off,into the trees,looking back once to make sure she was following.She was,with great deliberation,and looked at him,nodding that she was okay.He nodded back and disappeared into the forest,ducking under boughs brought low with heavy snow,looking up between the frosted canopy to try and spot the chopper against the steel grey sky. 

It was then he heard a flurry of gunshots,and wasn't too concerned because it sounded like Elena was holding her own. 

But after a few seconds of silence,there was a single shot,and that made him pause and look back,a cold shock of fear stabbing through his heart. 

He didn't know why,but he would figure out it wasn't the shot itself that told him something was wrong. 

It was the silence.Complete,dead silence. 

    9 

Canada-Now 

    Ears still ringing from the gunshots and trying to spit the taste of cordite out of his mouth,Logan saw the second wave of security come out of Eden Biotechnic.These guards looked very much like the fallen first wave,currently bleeding all over the snow and turning it crimson,except instead of guns they carried nozzles in their hands,connected via a narrow tube to cylindrical tanks on their backs.His bad feeling about that were confirmed when one of them lit it up,and a stream of red-orange fire shot out of the flamethrower towards him. 

He was still too far away to hit,but he could feel the wave of heat,and as he backed up slightly,careful not to trip over any bodies,he began searching for a rifle he didn't shred.He could shoot out the tanks a lot easier than try and rupture them with his claws.There were five guards with flamethrowers fanning out around the front of the building,and he knew the moment he went for one he'd be char broiled by the rest. 

Logan was slightly impressed.This was much better security.They must have learned something from twelve years ago. 

It was then Logan smelled something odd but familiar,and heard,"I see we showed up in the nick of linear time." 

He glanced over his shoulder to see Bob and Helga-both dressed in weather inappropriate clothes-standing near the broken gate of the compound.Bob gave him a roguish grin,and then glanced past him,at the flame on brigade."You're out,"he said to them conversationally,as if their shift was over.Logan glanced back in time to see the soldiers topple to the ground like dominos,open nozzles bleeding gasoline from the tanks. 

"So what's the haps,Logan?"Bob wondered. 

He turned back to him,and the moment Bob's eyes locked onto his,he had the sneaking feeling he was being looked through completely,right through to the core."Oh dear,"Bob said,his expression faltering. 

Logan knew he hadn't just heard his thoughts,but seen back into his memories.He hated it when he did that. 

"There's no end to the pain,is there?"Bob asked, rhetorically. 

"Just cut the crap.Are you gonna help me or not?" 

Bob spread his hands wide."That's why we're here." 

Bob was wearing leather pants and boots-again-and a white muscle t-shirt as tight as a second skin,but nothing more.He should have been freezing his ass off,but he didn't seem to be.Helga was dressed a bit warmer,in sneakers,blue jeans,and a red cashmere sweater with a fleece lined bomber jacket on top of that,but she was shivering,even as she hefted the compact rocket launcher to her shoulder."So we start with this building?"She asked,aiming down the sight. 

Bob reached out and lowered the barrel."We have to make sure there are no innocents inside first." 

"No one here is innocent,"Helga argued. 

"Kids."Bob clarified. 

Helga considered that a moment,her tail flicking back and forth behind her like a metronome."No one should know better than you that kids ain't automatically innocent." 

"Agreed.But in this case,I think we can assume extenuating circumstances."He said,then raised his golden eyebrows in Logan's direction."Want to lead the way,Wombat?" 

Now he knew he was doing that on purpose.Helga laughed as he gave Bob the finger,and said,"This way,Dick."Even Bob chuckled,proving he was stranger than he could ever imagine. 

Logan stepped over the bodies carefully as he led the way inside the darkened R&D lab,and Bob started singing again,as always."You go ahead,as good as dead.Come to a head,you're as good as dead." 

Logan sincerely wished he had picked a song with different lyrics.Better yet,maybe he could just shut up. 

But Logan knew he was more likely to sprout wings and fly away. 

*** 

Canada-1990 

    Logan knew he shouldn't,but he turned back,retreating towards the road,towards the truck and Elena. 

He wanted to call out to her,but didn't dare.He didn't want any soldiers who might be near to know he was coming. 

He didn't even have to leave the forest.There,standing behind the scraggly trees that made up the vanguard of the forest,he could see Elena,and a handful of soldiers,and smell blood on the wind. 

Six grey clad soldiers,three on either side,were slowly approaching a figure sprawled in the snow,their rifles aimed down at it as if the person might suddenly spring up and attack them like a deathless slasher in a horror movie.But it was obvious that person was not getting up ever again. 

Logan could smell death from here,and even in the dying light of the overcast sky,he could see the brain matter like hunks of torn meat splattered all over the snow,the blood looking black on the luminescent white snow. 

He couldn't see a face,if there was any face left to see,which he doubted since it looked like the bullet had taken off the top of the skull.But he recognized that lovely silver Glock in the figure's outstretched right hand,and his own red plaid flannel shirt. 

Elena. 

The soldiers were saying something to each other,or into their radios,but Logan didn't really hear them.He only heard his own heartbeat thundering in his ears,his blood a roaring counterpoint as a rage so pure it almost felt cleansing flared to life inside of him.Those motherfuckers had killed her,blown her fucking head clean off. 

(It was his fault,he had left her,he knew how fucking ill she was.There was no way she could be as quick on the draw as she was when she less sick-but she was supposed to be right behind him!She looked closer to the truck than the trees,like she'd backtracked...) 

It never occurred to him that it was stupid or reckless;he was so angry he wasn't thinking at all.That part of his brain had all but shut down.All he knew was that they weren't getting away with this.She dies,they die. 

(...if she backtracked where were her footprints?) 

He launched himself at the soldiers with a scream that was equal parts pain and rage- 

(Something about this scenario was familiar.Why was it familiar?) 

-and they were so startled most of them couldn't even get a shot off before he cut them down. 

Again,he lost himself.He was aware of screams,the sounds of gunfire,armor and flesh ripping,the smell of blood and fear,but only peripherally,as if these things were happening somewhere else,and involved someone other than him. 

Others probably got involved,but didn't last long.Bullets ripping through his flesh and ricocheting off bone were barely noticeable;beestings at best. 

He ran out of opponents quickly-too quickly-but he could smell others,ones that had gone deeper into the woods,gone after Alex. 

He went after them. 

They were not hard to find.Their scent alone was like an infrared trail in the numbing cold,nonetheless the trail of their footprints,and the broken brush they had clumsily left in their wake.He got the stragglers before they even noticed him,and the ones at the front got off a few shots,but to no avail,except of course making him angrier.They couldn't have done a more stupid thing if they tried. 

After they were finished he stood there,sucking in ragged breaths,waiting-hungry-for more.He was so angry he wanted to fight something,anything.Bring on a fucking Grizzly,he'd take him. 

"Logan?"A voice asked,small,tentative. 

His head snapped towards the sound,snarling on reflex,but it was only Alex looking at him from behind the narrow trunk of a pine tree. 

For a moment,he was furious,his rage just this big shambling monster,and he could feel it gauging her,deciding this prey was too easy- 

What the fuck?! 

He clamped down on his rage violently.It was like shoving a twelve foot monster back into a six foot closet,but he managed, disgusted with himself and everything else.Why did that happen?Sometimes when he got angry-really angry-it was like something inside him just snapped,and he went away for a while,only to be replaced by...what?Madness;pure,unadulterated madness.He thought he was crazy,some special kind of insanity- 

(It's the programming-it takes over) 

-but that felt like a cop out,shirking responsibility for his own anger by 'going away for a while'.He was full of aimless, frustrated rage;a wounded animal that didn't know what hurt it,so it lashed out at everything within reach.A special type of insanity known only to the fatally flawed and deeply hurt. 

He took several deep breaths as he got ahold of himself,only now aware of the tacky feeling of blood on his face (he didn't know if it was his or someone else's or a combination of both,and it didn't matter),and when he trusted himself to talk,he asked,"Are you all right?" 

She nodded,her eyes still wide and wary."I heard you scream.I thought maybe...maybe you got hurt or something." 

"I'm fine."He was glad she didn't ask about her mother. 

She stepped out from behind the tree cautiously,and,looking around,asked,"Where's Mom?" 

He had to think that,didn't he?"She's...uh...she's waiting by the truck.C'mon,I think we can make it through the blockade with no soldiers to back it up." 

She gave him a look that was far too wise."You're lying.Where is she?" 

Oh god.He didn't want to have to do this at all,nonetheless now."Let's-let's just go back to the truck.I'll tell you there." 

A look of stark fear crossed her face,and he knew,in that moment,she had guessed the truth,just like she had guessed a soldier tried to take him out with the rocket launcher."Mom,"she shouted,racing into the woods."Mom!" 

God damn it!"Alex!"He shouted,darting after her.He caught up to her fast,and grabbed her firmly by the shoulders,swinging her around to face him.He dropped to one knee so she could actually see his face."Alex-you can't.Don't.There still might be soldiers out there."The helicopter seemed to have bugger off though,making him think there were few left,and those left had decided to bag their abortive attack. 

"I don't care!"She wailed in despair,tears welling in her eyes."I want to see my mom!Where is she?!" 

He felt terrible for her,mainly because he had a sense he had let her (them) down."You don't want to see her,Alex.Trust me." 

She tried to pull away,but wasn't strong enough."I do too!I-" 

"Once you see her you won't be able to forget it,"he said,and for some reason this was vaguely familiar too,not so much deja vu but an echo from his forgotten past that still seemed to resonate in his bones.He did not want to know why;he did not ever want to remember why."And you don't want to always remember your mother that way.You don't." 

He had confirmed she was dead.Alex just stared at him for a moment,her face distraught and starkly naked with pain,and then she burst into tears so violent they made her whole body tremble.Out of reflex for simple comfort,she flung her arms around his neck,sobbing into his shoulder. 

Part of him recoiled at this display of raw emotion,and another part of him was angry,at himself for feeling that way and for letting it ever come to this. 

They had to go,it was quite possible back up was on the way,but Alex seemed to collapse under the weight of grief.What else could he do?Feeling awkward and angry-mostly at himself,but a little at Elena for leaving him with Alex-he picked the girl up, letting her continue to weep on his shoulder as he trekked back through the woods.He'd have to drop her if a fight was going to happen,but as he tread carefully to avoid the fallen bodies and the places where warm blood had turned the snow to slushy puddles,he realized he had fought far more than he remembered.It had all become a blur in the heat of his rage. 

He detoured to avoid coming out near Elena,and when he did leave the woods,he made sure her body was on his right,since he was carrying Alex on his left.He held her tightly,if only to make sure she never saw what had become of Elena. 

Now dusk had set in hard,aiding him in his quest.From the truck,Elena's body was just an anonymous figure fallen in the gore stained snow,surrounded by several other bodies;the only difference was her clothing. 

Alex curled up into a ball in the back,inconsolable in her pain,and as he started the truck he looked back at where Elena had been killed,wondering why it bothered him so much.She was dead,they both knew it,and she went out fighting,rather than malingering until her brain swelled or her body simply gave out.It was what she wanted. 

It startled him to think,just for a moment,maybe it wasn't what he wanted. 

*** 

Canada-Now 

    "They hibernate,but have they kissed the ground?"Bob continued to sing,as they went deeper into the maze of cement lined corridors,the air cold enough to turn their breath into vapor."Pucker up and kiss the asphalt now." 

As if Bob had known it was going to happen (maybe he did),the main lights died as Alex killed the power,and the emergency lighting came on,as sickly yellow as a jaundiced eye. 

"Self-destruct sequence,this station is non operational,"Bob sang,but quieter this time,probably because the hum of energy running through the complex had died along with the lights. 

There were metal doors on either side of the corridor,and he tried the first one,only to find it locked.Before he popped his claws,Bob said,"No one's home,Logan.Not behind any of these doors." 

He almost asked how he knew,but that was idiotic:no babble of thoughts meant no living minds behind the doors.Or at least not living human minds. 

Logan could smell a lot of people who had been in and out of these hallways recently,but nothing overwhelmingly current.   
"There are still people here."Not a question;instinct told him they were not alone. 

"Up ahead,we're gonna have us a welcoming party,"Bob said,as if he was just explaining an unusual feature in the landscape. 

"Finally,"Helga,trailing behind him,exclaimed."I was starting to get bored." 

"So who's in charge here,barking out loud so clear,because I'd really like to meet him,"Bob sang,going back to his usual habits. 

Logan could smell the people around the sharp L bend of the corridor,hear the slightest scuff of sole on concrete,the chuff of body armor against fabric,and he tensed,ready to pop his claws at any second. 

Bob had changed his tune."You get the ankles and I'll get the wrists-You come down to this."He didn't know if that was a random musical comment or an actual plan. 

The soldiers surged around the corner,turning on bright lights affixed to high powered rifles,but rather than blind him it gave him an instant target to go for.With a roar of long bottled rage he launched himself at the men,claws popping from his hand, when Bob suddenly shouted,"Wait!" 

Logan,right arm swept forward in mid slash,found himself frozen in place.He wanted to move,but seemed to have completely forgotten how."Bob,let me the fuck go!"Logan snapped,still able to speak (well,for now). 

He'd have been an easy target if the soldiers were free to fire,but of course they weren't;Bob had trapped them all like flies in invisible amber. 

Bob,still free to move,walked around him and went right up to the frozen soldiers,lowering gun barrels,pulling the glaring lights out of his eyes."Oh,these fucking bastard,"Bob said,sounding genuinely pissed off."Worst than shit eating demons, these flaming yobbos." 

"What are you-"Logan began,but his eyes had adjusted to the light,and he saw why Bob was so upset. 

The soldiers were kids. 

Very tall kids-not a one was under five feet eight-but in spite of the body armor and the rifles,their faces were pre-pubescent. His guess was twelve to thirteen,a couple girls in among the boys,and he had another guess too."Supersoldiers, like Alex,"he said,adding,"You can let me go now.I ain't gonna hurt 'em." 

"Could you?"Helga asked,coming up behind him. 

Released,he dropped his arm to his side,retracting his claws and giving Bob a dirty look for freezing him."Yeah.Adamantium's the one thing that can really hurt 'em."Considering the nature of her question and the fact that she didn't ask who Alex was,he assumed Bob had filled Helga in.Maybe his version of telepathy didn't hit her so hard since she was a demon. 

"You remember everything,you're free,"Bob said,and the child soldiers looked around bewildered,blinking rapidly,as if they'd just woken up from a dream.Brain washing and/or mind control too;no wonder Bob was so pissed off."Are there any more of you here?" 

Bob had said that to a boy as pale as snow,his blue eyes so wide in his face he looked shell shocked."Some younger kids on the lower level." 

"Go get them,"Bob instructed them."Get them and evacuate the complex.If anyone tries to stop you,don't let them.Get a safe distance away,and wait for us.Go." 

All ten of the young supersoldiers obeyed him,turning around and going back where they had come from,after the younger members of their cadre."Can you believe these amoral fuckwads?"Bob asked incredulously,turning back to them."Using kids to fight their battles." 

"Super mutant kids,"Helga pointed out. 

Bob made a dismissive gesture with his hand."That doesn't matter.Only ball-less wonders use kids to fight their battles.I was gonna ask what they were up to,but now I don't fucking care.I just want to kick these bastards asses.Come on,let's see if Barton's home." 

In a strange way,Logan was disappointed.If Bob was angry,there was no reason for him and Helga to be here.They might as well go get a beer,because this place-and everyone in it- was finished. 

    10 

Canada-1990 

    They were over the border in Skagway before dawn.It helped that Logan refused to sleep,so he simply drove all night. 

They had not been followed,and the helicopter had never reappeared,pretty much confirming that the tracking device had been in Elena's blood. 

Alex had cried herself out long ago,and he didn't know if she was asleep or simply sunk in silence.And the longer he thought about it,the more things that seemed wrong seemed to assert themselves in his mind. 

The lack of her footprints,the single gun in her hand (why hadn't she pulled the other?),and then,as he gave in to road hypnotism,where the yellow line monotony of the landscape put him in a semi-trance state well known to anyone who drove   
too far for too long,he remembered some of what those soldiers were saying before he attacked them. 

"Your shot,Keevo?" 

"Not mine.Martin's." 

"I wasn't in position yet." 

"Who took the shot?" 

They didn't know.The soldiers didn't know who shot Elena,because they didn't. 

She did.She took herself out. 

(In his mind's eyes,he could see Elena waiting for him to go,and as soon as he was turned away,placing the barrel of her gun right between her own eyes,and-) 

He shook the image away before it moved on to its inevitable conclusion.Why would she do such an idiotic thing?She was supposed to be a fighter,so why quit- 

But it wasn't exactly quitting,was it?She took out the one thing endangering her daughter's safety. 

And what sinister fucks were Eden?They used her as a weapon against her own daughter,using her own compassion against her. 

He was exhausted,but dared not sleep,for fear that his dreams would be full of Elena blowing her brains out in glorious technicolor. 

They stopped a couple of times,when the roads became impassible and they had to stop for gas,but mostly they rode the rest of the way to Nome in utter silence,the pall of loss and failure hanging over them like a shroud. 

Alex did come out of her cocoon long enough to tell him the address of where they were supposed to go,a private house in what passed for a suburb of Nome,belonging to a couple named Bryan and Sabine Goldman.She knew nothing about them, except her mother seemed to think they could protect her from the forces of Eden Biotechnics. 

As they neared the home,Logan felt compelled to say something to her,anything.So as he drove the clean,homey streets of Nome (it almost looked like a real city),he said awkwardly,"Alex...I'm sorry." 

She was now sitting in the front seat,huddled up against the door,her arms wrapped around her knees as she tried to make herself as small as possible to escape her grief."Sorry for what?It wasn't your fault." 

"I-"he paused,not sure what to say.'Yes it was.If I made her go ahead of me she wouldn't have had the opportunity to blow her brains out?'Finally,he decided to say,"I promised I'd get you here.But I meant the both of you." 

She nodded,looking out the window."I know."She fell silent,as if not sure what else to say.He couldn't blame her. 

He was so fucking pissed off at Elena,for killing herself,for leaving him with Alex,and he was pissed at himself too,for his lapse in judgment.He should have known that Elena,willing to do anything to save Alex,would even kill herself if she determined herself to be a threat to her continued safety. 

She was a hell of a woman.She shouldn't have died like that.She deserved better. 

And the kicker was,she wasn't even a mutant.She was trying to save them,and she was just a plain old human being. 

Maybe they weren't all so bad after all. 

Dusk was setting in once again as he pulled up to the split level Goldman home,a spot of pastel blue against the endless white, and a pretty contrast against the pink sky.He felt uncomfortable as he got out of the truck,a snarling beast who didn't belong anywhere near this suburban picture of domestic tranquility,and he couldn't wait to leave. 

Alex seemed reluctant to get out of the truck,and when she did,she said,so quietly she almost didn't hear her,"I wish you didn't have to go.You could probably stay,if you wanted." 

He looked back at her,grimacing at the invitation and the thought.He wanted to drop Alex off and leave,just wash his hands of all of this,forget Alex and Eden and Elena.He had enough troubles of his own,didn't he?He didn't need to inherit anyone else's misfortunes,or carry the burden of their guilt.He had enough guilt as it was,and he didn't even know why. 

"I got things to do,kid,"he told her finally."Besides,I doubt they want me hangin' around.And it'd be better if Eden thought we were still on the move." 

"Are you gonna go look for them?" 

It took him a moment to realize she meant Eden."I don't know." 

She scuffed the snow with the toe of her hiking boot."If I find them,will you help me stop them?" 

He huffed a sigh through his nose."Kid,you-" 

"Will you?"She looked up at him,her face set with a look of grim resolve. 

He rolled his eyes.Mutant or not,she was a kid,and she couldn't take on a huge corporate conspiracy all by herself,or even with him.But since he doubted she'd ever find these son of a bitches (unless they found her first),he humored her. "Yeah,okay. You'd need the help anyways." 

She looked frankly skeptical."You mean you'd like to kick their ass."Before he could deny that (okay,it was true,but it was the principal of the thing),she added darkly,"Me too." 

He wondered if he should tell her that Eden didn't really kill her mother.Okay they did by putting the tracking device in her blood,but that was roundabout and indirect,probably just as they had planned it. 

"We've been expecting you,"a woman's voice said. 

It sounded like it was right behind him,but he turned sharply to see no one there.He didn't think so-after all,he didn't smell, hear,or sense the approach of anyone. 

He searched the snow shrouded yard,but there were no footprints,no sign that anyone was here. 

What the fuck? 

The door of the house opened,and a matronly middle aged woman appeared in the doorway.She wore an oversized green sweater and jeans,her dark brown hair swept up on top of her head and held in place by two black chopsticks.Her deep blue eyes seemed to take them both in,and she said,"Why don't you come in from the cold?"But she never opened her mouth. 

A telepath.Okay,that made sense.Elena thought she'd be safe here because Sabine-and it had to be her-was a powerful member of their breed.Eden might close in,but within twenty feet they'd have a change of heart,and find themselves ice fishing in Barrow.A mindfucker could be a hard variable to compensate for. 

She had a warm smile on her round,open face,but when her eyes met his,the smile faltered somewhat."Poor woman,"he heard her think."It was good you didn't tell the child." 

He frowned at her.He really didn't like telepaths. 

Still,she seemed nice enough to Alex,who somewhat reluctantly went to the door,and looked back at Logan forlornly. 

"Bye,"she said,looking like she wanted to say more,but didn't know what precisely. 

He nodded,feeling the same awkwardness."Take care of yourself,kid." 

"You too." 

He walked back to the truck,glad this was almost over,when he heard the woman say,in his head,"You're always welcome here, brother." 

"I ain't your brother,"he snapped,the well meaning camaraderie of that statement ticking him off.He was not someone's brother,or friend,or savior.He was simply a fucked up drifter with a talent for hurting people. 

"Tell yourself that enough and you might even believe it,"he heard Sabine's voice interject. 

He slammed the door of his truck hard and started the engine,never once looking back. 

*** 

Canada-Now 

    It was an easy trip up to the upper lab level,where they found a large office that would have not been out of place in a corporate office in downtown Toronto. 

As Bob opened the door,the man standing behind the large oaken desk did a slight double take,and reached for a drawer. 

"Now,come on,"Bob said,as the man froze in place."Why do you guys think you have a shot after we've gotten past all your watchdogs and their big ass weapons?"He scoffed humorously."It's like in that old Superman t.v. show.The bad guys would always empty their guns at Supe,and no worries,he just stood there and let the bullets bounce off.But then they'd throw their empty guns at him,and he would duck.What the hell was that about?" 

"Save the stand up act for Sir-Laughs-A-Lot,"Logan grumbled."Is this Perevil?" 

"No,"Bob replied confidently."He's balder.Who are you?" 

"William Sutton,"the man replied absently,the panic obvious in his small grey eyes.The man-of average height and slowly growing paunch,clad in a charcoal suit with matching tie,and a fringe of black hair crowning his head like a weedy laurel wreath (he looked pretty damn bald to Logan)-didn't sit back down in his desk chair more than he collapsed,Bob cutting the strings of his bodily control quite savagely. 

"Bill-can I call you Willie?'Cause you are one,"Bob said,like Sutton actually had a choice."Where's Perevil?" 

"Dallas." 

"Ah yes,Texas.The home of evil men everywhere.Are there more supersoldier growing labs like this one?" 

"One in Rhajan." 

"Where in Rhajan?" 

"I don't know." 

"Well,that narrows it down,"Alex said sarcastically,coming in the door behind them.She must have had no trouble getting in, because she looked absolutely unruffled. 

"Actually,it does,"Bob told her."I could buy and sell that island with one phone call.Should be easy enough to find the lab and close it down." 

She scoffed."Oh,come on.The Sa'uds are billionaires thanks to the oil reserves." 

Bob shrugged."Like I said,buy and sell.You Alex?Tell me that's not short for Alexandra." 

"No,it's short for Alexis.Who are you?" 

"Oh,sorry my dear.I'm Bob,a friend of Logan's,and this luscious green thing is Helga." 

"Hello,"she said,trying to hide her surprise at Helga's appearance.She probably thought she was a mutant."Why did you care if it was short for Alexandra?" 

"The ship that took me to Botany Bay was the HMS Alexander.I have a dreadful-and surely unfair-feeling about that name." 

Alex raised an eyebrow,giving him a deeply puzzled look."Botany Bay?You're referring to a recent trip?" 

Logan shook his head."Please don't ask.I'll try and explain later,okay?" 

She looked between him and Bob curiously,but Bob had already turned his attention back to Sutton."What is your job description here,Willie?" 

"I'm President of Research and Development." 

"Head pimp,in other words,"Helga commented wryly. 

"Are we going to stand around chatting all day,or are we going to start some general destruction and mayhem?"Alex wondered impatiently. 

Bob got a weird look in his eye that Logan just knew meant more trouble than he had accounted for.He favored them all with that look and grinned broadly."I have a better idea.You know how you take down a big monolith like this?" 

"Blow it up?"Helga guessed. 

"Chop a weed down at the stem,and it simply grows back.What you need to do is get the root." 

"Perevil?"Alex replied. 

"What's considered the root of all evil?" 

"Musical theater?"Helga said. 

"Money?"Alex replied. 

"Exactly.Of course,the real saying is "want of money is the root of all evil",but that would upset the Republicans too much. So,we'll evacuate the place and blow it to hell." 

"Evacuate?Fuck you-they'll just start over-"Alex began,but Bob just shook his head,and gave her a sly smile. 

"No,my dear.After the explosion is when the destruction begins.Trust me." 

"Believe it,"Logan assured her.He had no idea what Bob was going to do,but that look on his face seemed to say,whatever it was,Eden Biotechnics would rue the day it ever came to the attention of Maximum Bob. 

** 

New York-Now 

    Scott scowled at the computer screen,like it would do any good. 

He didn't know what he had done to get this much spam in his email account.And if the sheer volume of it wasn't bad enough, most of it involved porn and stuff that would make your penis grotesquely huge,like that was a good thing. 

Until this moment,he thought the most disgusting spam were the ones that seemed to be advertising sex with animals-and it still was,yes:what kind of sick people thought of these things?-but now there was another on vying for the upper slot. 


	8. Part 8

"See live mutant sex now!" The header for the email read,in all caps,so it was shouted like a carnival barker on the midway.He wondered if that meant mutants were closer to mainstream status now,or they simply had the psychotic freak show appeal of the bestiality crowd.Either way,he couldn't see internet pornographic exploitation as a good thing. 

He deleted all the spam-nine of seventeen messages in his inbox-and decided to go get himself some orange juice before reading his actual messages.Maybe there was some of that jalapeno cornbread left as well. 

He spun around in his chair and got up,the back of the chair knocking a legal pad off the corner of his desk.He stooped down,grabbed it,and when he straightened up- 

-there was someone right in front of him. 

"Whoa!"He shouted in surprise,jumping back and nearly falling over his own chair. 

By the time he regained his balance (if not precisely his dignity) and raised a hand to his visor,he recognized the person who had just appeared out of thin air.Helga,Bob's-and sometimes Logan's-girlfriend (he still didn't know how that worked).She was dressed rather warmly, considering,and gave him a slightly bemused look."Sorry to scare you,Mr. Magoo.I came ahead to see if you guys had the room." 

He looked at the green woman curiously.Mr. Magoo?"Huh?" 

"Logan wasn't sure you could handle 'em,but he didn't know where else we could take the kids," she said,as if that actually explained something. 

"This has to do with Logan?"Everyone found the note he had left on the Professor's desk kind of suspicious-since when did Logan have friends?(No one really counted Bob-Bob was too damned odd by half.)Jean was worried that this had something to do with the soldiers who vivisected him like a bio lab frog,but the Professor thought they should trust him.And,if they hadn't heard from him in two days,the Professor would get on Cerebro and try and find him,if only to confirm that he was all right. 

It was then Scott noticed what Helga was leaning on,like a cane."Is that a rocket launcher?"He asked,slightly horrified.He'd only seen those in movies. 

"Don't worry,it's not loaded.But it's better than pepper spray."She then scowled at him,like he was staring at her boobs instead of the rocket launcher."Look,do you have the room or not?" 

"For what?"He was sure he lost the thread of the conversation. 

"A bunch of kids.Sixteen,I think." 

He didn't just lose the thread of this conversation,he lost the whole skein.But Helga was like that. She kind of unnerved him too;she just exuded an air of menace.Did she really used to be an assassin?(Well,that might explain the rocket launcher...)"All children are welcome here,"he offered,then asked,"What is this-" 

"Okay,we're a go,"Helga said,presumably to thin air,and then,rather suddenly,a large group of people appeared in the library,barely visible in Scott's peripheral vision. 

He spun to see a large group of kids-almost evenly split between genders and races-standing with the ubiquitous Bob,Logan,and a striking dark skinned woman he'd never seen before.But what he really noticed shocked him."Are they wearing body armor?" 

The older kids-ten of them,maybe thirteen at the oldest,in spite of their height-were clad in grey uniforms that did look like gear of some sort.The younger ones-around eight or so,although one little girl looked about six-had regular clothes. 

"Yeah,"Logan muttered,seemingly embarrassed by all this."It's a long story."Only then did Scott notice he had melting ice in his close cropped beard,and splatters of what looked like blood on his face. 

"Some bad guys were making mutants to serve as a private army,"Bob explained,taking over for Logan."These are the raw recruits.They're all test tube and have no parents or families,and now that the lab they called home is a big hole in the ground,they have no place to go.Can you take them?" 

Scott stared at him,jaw dropping in shock.Someone was designing mutant kids for lives of military servitude?"Who would do a thing like that?"Then he remembered Bob had put a question to him. "Yes,of course.They can live here." 

"Who is someone who will be splashed over the front pages for quite a while now,"Bob answered cryptically."Not for this,though.For something far more egregious." 

"What the hell could be more egregious then designated slavery?"Scott asked,wondering if that was Bob's personal opinion.Supposedly he wasn't Human,so maybe it didn't mean that much to him. 

Bob grinned suddenly,eyes locking on his,and Scott felt a cold shock of fear.Had Bob read his mind and heard that?Then,out of the blue,Bob said,never looking away from him,"Hey Chuck." 

The library doors opened,and Professor Xavier came in,Jean right behind him.Jean gave him a questioning glance,and all he could do was shrug. 

But the Professor looked at Bob,then Logan,and then at the children,who were looking around with wide eyed fascination.They seemed a little scared,but not very,except for the six year old girl who clung to Bob's leg.Bob picked her up,and gave her a gentle little squeeze."It's gonna be all right,darlin',"he told her."These are the good guys." 

"I'm Charles Xavier,welcome to my school for mutants,"the Professor said,in his most reassuring, avuncular voice.As always,it worked wonders for soothing edgy nerves.That,or a mild telepathic suggestion."This is Scott Summers and Jean Grey,two teachers here.If you will follow them,they'll help you get situated." 

Scott realized then that Xavier wanted to talk to Bob,Logan,and possibly the dark woman (was that Logan's supposed friend?She was right beside him) without the children present.Logan's slightly bloody appearance probably had something to do with it. 

Scott put on his best smile and soothing manner for the kids,who had to be scared,as well as confused,lost,angry,and possibly hurt."Maybe we can run them by the med lab,"he suggested gently,looking at Jean,who nodded her agreement. 

"No need,"Logan said."The skin on these kids is one of the toughest substances on earth.Think of it like lead." 

"Only adamantium seems to get through,"the strange woman said."And the only adamantium around was what Logan has." 

But did he hurt them,Scott wondered,and suddenly Bob chuckled,completely out of context.Or was it? 

He was looking straight at him. 

Logan looked at Bob,then followed Bob's eyes to him and glowered at him."I don't hurt kids," Logan growled. 

Did Bob have some sort of telepathic link with Logan,or was that just a guess on his part? 

Jean gave him a disappointed little scowl,and then turned her attention to the girl Bob was holding."Hello,sweetheart.What's your name?" 

"This is Hannah,"Bob told her,as the girl clung to Bob's neck more fiercely."And I think if you offer her some hot chocolate,she'd love you forever." 

"I think we could manage that,"Jean said,reaching for the girl.But Bob backed up and shook his head,and Jean took a step back too.She suddenly remembered she couldn't touch Bob,not unless she wanted to end up hurt.Bob had claimed a telepath who tried to scan him in Canada,when he and Jean were trying to rescue him from the Organization,dropped dead from the brief mental contact,but they had no way of knowing if that was true or not.After all,Logan seemed to survive Bob's 'possession' of him with no ill effects.Still,it was always better to err on the side of caution, and since when did Logan ever suffer any ill effects that lasted for longer than a day? 

Bob put Hannah back down on her feet-she seemed very reluctant to let him go-and then Jean took the little girl's hand. 

Jean used her own charm to get the other younger kids to follow her,but as they left the library, all the kids turned back and waved at Bob,who waved enthusiastically back,gracing them with a beaming smile."You'll do great here,kiddos,"he said,and Scott wondered if that was encouragement or a push.Maybe both. 

"The kids seem to like you,"the strange woman said to Bob. 

"Kids,animals,plants,you name it,"Helga said,coming up beside Bob."Everybody loves Bob." 

"Only 'cause they don't enough about him not to,"Logan said wryly. 

Bob gave him that winning grin of his."Now mate,no one has anything to fear from me.Unless you're up to no good." 

"Or they piss you off,"Helga said,sliding her arm through his.She had propped the rocket launcher up against the nearest bookcase. 

Bob shrugged,and said in a jovial tone of voice."Ah well.That's a risk everyone just has to take." 

Scott wondered if the explanation for all of this would be as strange as Bob was. 

*** 

One Week Later 

    Bob had a really dark sense of humor. 

He was good to his word,though:Eden Biotechnics was totally destroyed,and they were on the verge of filing for bankruptcy.The vultures were circling,rivals looking to buy up their former technicians and patents for a pittance. 

The day after they had freed the kids from the R&D lab and destroyed the complex,William Sutton had turned over evidence implicating himself,all the corporate board members,and especially C.E.O. Barton Perevil in a massive fraud scheme to bilk investors for millions of dollars. For his 'whistleblower' status,Sutton was immune from prosecution,but everyone else was  scrambling for high priced lawyers to hide behind,and Perevil himself had been arrested at the Dallas corporate offices for being the architect of the scheme,and defrauding the I.R.S. for a cool million on a 1999 tax return.Perevil was loudly proclaiming his innocence as he sank even deeper into shit (now there were suspected human rights violations at an oil field he owned in Africa,and there was an investigation to see if he conspired to have an African union organizer murdered back in '96),and Logan actually figured he was innocent of a lot of it. 

But,he didn't care.The guy had to suffer for something,and if it was fabricated crimes created by the business savvy Bob,great. 

Bob was absolutely right-to destroy a company,you hit them in the wallet.As soon as the word got out that Eden Biotechnics was yet another company involved in accounting fraud,their two hundred dollar a share stock plunged to six dollars,and now it was junk,not even worth the paper it was printed on.Without money and status,and their 'captain' in prison,looking at a seventy five year stint in the grey bar hotel,Eden Biotechnics was out of business for good and forever. 

Logan found himself wishing Bob could do that to the Organization,but since they weren't a business,it probably didn't apply. 

The only one who escaped the noose was al'Sa'ud,who claimed no knowledge of any financial wrong doings (and had diplomatic immunity anyways),but the day before he proclaimed that there was nothing of Eden Biotechnic left in Rhajan,Bob showed up with a dozen eleven year old boys of East Indian extraction,all supersoldiers from Rhajan."He thinks I bought them from him," Bob said,referring to al'Sa'ud.Obviously Bob didn't buy people,so al'Sa'ud got completely taken for a ride,but it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.Who in the fuck would sell other people anyways? 

All the kid supersoldiers seemed to be settling in well at the school,enough so that nearly everyone thought Bob had pushed them,but no one was complaining about it. 

He introduced Alex around,never explaining how they met precisely,and Alex was respectful of that,saying only that he had help her and her mom out a long time ago.Jean occasionally gave him funny looks about that,wanting more and possibly gleaning some of it telepathically,but he wouldn't discuss it. 

Ironically,the past he could remember he didn't like thinking about. 

Alex was also offered a place here,but she was happy being a cop in Juneau,'closeted' mutant or not,and now with Eden gone for good she was even happier.She was also glad the kids had somewhere safe to be;she felt lucky she had ever gotten the chance to grow up with relative safety. 

Bob,who seemed to be bouncing back between the mansion and everywhere else,popped back in to teleport her back to Juneau.Before she left,Alex gave him a fierce hug,and thanked him for everything,which made him feel like a complete heel.As always.He never really did much for Elena or Alex;she just didn't seem to realize that.Still,he felt a pang of sadness to see her go, again.He wondered if he'd see her again,and,if so,how much would she age...while he did not. Yet one more thing he couldn't stand about himself,and yet couldn't change. 

Logan wasn't sure he wanted to stay at the mansion any longer,but right now he didn't know where else to go.He'd had his fill of Canada and all the memories there that he could actually recall. 

Bob was still hanging around,as he was wont to do,but he had sort of a reason.Xavier had asked him to give another lesson on quantum physics and the multiple universe theory.Of course,the kids loved him and he could have have talked about sheep for a whole hour,they wouldn't have cared,but Xavier apparently eavesdropped on the lecture,finding it utterly fascinating.Logan was glad someone did.If anyone could make a dry topic interesting it was Bob,but he had better things to do with his afternoon. 

Well,actually as it turned out,he'd have done better at the lecture.He ended up arguing with Scott over whether a new training sim he created was too violent or not.As far as he was concerned,it was too unrealistic as it was,and Scott was being a big fucking pussy.Scott thought he was being a "bloodthirsty bastard" (ooh,he was shaking-was that supposed to be an insult?),and Storm was left to mediate before they came to blows over it.Logan knew he'd have kicked his momma's boy ass without bringing his claws into it,even if Scott brought his powers into it (how could he not?He had nothing else to fight with),but Storm threatened to zap them all and let Xavier straighten it  out when they were conscious.Although he was hardly afraid of a lightning bolt,Scott got all kiss ass and conciliatory-well,at least to Storm-and while it was possible for one side to continue to sustain an argument,it was no fun at all. 

He was only going to speak to Bob because there was something bugging him about this Eden thing.It seemed to work out okay,but someone had slipped through the cracks. 

He knocked on the door of Bob's room,faintly hearing music from within,which did not surprise him. "Come in,but not if you're squeamish,"Bob called out. 

That made Logan almost not enter.What was that supposed to mean? 

Assuming it was just Bob and his weird sense of humor,he walked in,and then saw what he meant, maybe. 

Bob was towel drying his hair,dressed in nothing but a pair of white boxer shorts that had emblazoned on the front,in big red letters,"Home Of The Whopper". 

Logan closed the door and leaned against it,shaking his head."It's nice to know you don't have a small dick complex." 

He glanced at him and grinned,like he almost always did.In the background,Ministry's atonal and incoherent "Jesus Built My Hot Rod" seemed to be mocking the both of them."Actually,one of my ex-wives bought these for me.It has a duel meaning.Not only am I packing,but I also lie like a rug." 

Logan smirked,looking away.It was almost admirable the way that Bob was always the first to admit he was full of shit.But Logan suspected often that he really wasn't,he just wanted (perversely) people to think he was."How many ex-wives you got?" 

"Oh,a couple,"he responded cryptically.He tossed the towel on his unmade bed,and started to paw through his dresser drawers.Logan was surprised he'd brought so many clothes-or were they mostly Helga's?"Don't worry-Sutton will get his." 

That was what he was here to ask him about."But he has immunity from prosecution." 

"For the financial shenanigans,yes,but arrogant pricks like that always trip themselves up.Trust me." 

"You planted a suggestion in his head?" 

"Didn't have to do that.Trust me,mate-these fuckers always shoot themselves in the foot." 

Logan remembered what Bob had said about lying like a rug,and figured he was.He'd planted some sort of suggestion in his mind that would guarantee that Sutton would get nailed for something,even if he simply turned himself in. 

"Why are you so unhappy?"Bob suddenly asked,pulling out a pair of khaki cargo shorts. 

"Huh?"That caught him off guard.But Bob usually did. 

"You're feelin' restless,unsettled.Course,you usually do,but even more so now." 

"I just had a fight with that tight assed dickwad Scott.I ain't in the best of moods." 

"You always fight with Scott.It's more than that,"he pointed out,stepping into the walking shorts. 

"You miss it,don't you?" 

He didn't want to talk about himself at all."Miss what?" 

"The ignorance,the wandering around with no one to care about but yourself.And even then you really didn't care about yourself,but it's the principal of the thing." 

"I'm gonna go,"Logan said,grabbing the door knob.But Bob wasn't about to let him go that easily. 

"Why don't you?" 

Everything in him was screaming "Don't ask!",but he couldn't help himself."Why don't I what?" 

"Go to Japan,by yourself this time.You lived there for years.Maybe you'll remember something." 

"Yeah,that really worked for London,didn't it?"He snapped,feeling suddenly very angry.The very thought of going to Japan left him feeling like he was going to have a panic attack. 

"You didn't live there;you were visiting.And you did run into someone who knew you.Odds are better that'll happen in Tokyo." 

"No it ain't,'cause I killed just about everyone who knew me,"he pointed out angrily.He had to lower his voice because the song on Bob's stereo had switched to something far more softer and mellow.He recognized the lyrics as that Tom Waites song Bob taunted him with once,only now it was being sung by a woman with a much better voice."Maybe Dayu would like to have another shot at me." 

"Dayu is finding inner peace in L.A.,and has no interest in you anymore,"Bob replied,pulling a shirt out of the drawer.It was a sky blue tank top that could have just as well belonged to Helga."Is it the idea of what you did there holding you back?Or the thought of having had a wife and-by definition-a life?" 

He glowered at him."Stay the fuck out of my life,Bob." 

Bob pulled his shirt on over his head,and seemed perfectly unmoved by his threat."Well,mate, that's a problem.'Cause you know as well as I do that you want me to help you as much as you  
don't want me to." 

Logan stared at him."What are you on?" 

Bob chuckled,pulling his shirt down all the way.Was it an optical illusion,or was Bob's hair suddenly dry?"Deep down,you want to belong to someone,Logan.You want to have a life.But,on the surface,it scares the shit out of you." 

"Stop tryin' to psychoanalyzin' me.I have a life.It ain't a great one,but it is a life." 

"But you're not happy." 

"I'm never happy."He blurted out.Oh,he wished he hadn't said that. 

"You used to be,"Bob said soberly."You just don't remember.Not consciously.But somethin' in your gut recalls happiness,or something like it.And it terrifies you,understandably,'cause it seems like every time you're out of Mopeville something flamin' awful happens."Bob then made a gesture to the air."This song always reminds me of you,you know.That,and that Rage Against The Machine one where the singer screams "Fuck you I won't do what you tell me" over and over with increasing agitation.That one's real fun to shout along with.It should be the Aussie national anthem." 

Logan just shook his head,wondering why he ever bothered to try and have a conversation with this fucking semi-omnipotent goofball. 

"Because,when you get right down to it,you feel more comfortable with me than anyone else," Bob said,replying to his unspoken comment."Oh,well,maybe Jean,but there's all that baggage-" 

"Would you just fucking stop?!"He roared,letting his anger take over.It was no matter to Bob;Bob was never in any danger from him,and they both knew it."All I wanted to know was that Sutton was getting his.Now that I know,I'm goin'." 

"No need to get the knickers in a twist,mate."Bob said,smiling as if he had said something funny.As if on cue,the song faded to the old punk rager,Suicidal Tendencies's "Institutionalized".He wondered if Bob had done that on purpose."I was gonna go off to Sydney.Right now,there's some massively beautiful waves off Bondi and I thought I could cram in a bit of surfing.Wanna come along?I can teach you to surf.It's amazingly Zen if done right.I was gonna drop in on the kids too.I got a great grand who'd just love to meet you-" 

"I don't think so,"he said darkly.Sometimes he would swear Bob did that on purpose,try and confuse him with asides and non sequiturs. 

"No,I was just tryin' to change to a safer topic,"he said,once again answering his unspoken comment."My goal in life isn't to make your life harder than it seems." 

"Isn't it?" 

"I doubt I could make your life harder than it already is,"he said,with a sincerity Logan loathed. 

"Unless I made you believe you were a chicken.But even then that'd be an improvement, 'cause chickens don't have remorse." 

Logan glared at him."You're insane,aren't you?" 

Bob just gave him that shit eating grin of his,one he should probably get patented before a Presidential candidate stole it (yes,his hair was perfectly dry-why did he even bother with the towel?)."I'm Australian.I've been told that's very nearly the same thing." 

Logan rolled his eyes.Getting a straight answer from him was like getting Scott to stop acting like a goody two shoes:impossible,or at least too annoying to try for very long."Why do you bother with any of us?You could be anywhere else,doing anything." 

"Well,Mark Twain had a good quote about that:"Whenever you find that you are on the side of the majority,it is time to reform."Also,one of my ex-wives was a mutant.And if you meant why you personally,well,I like mysteries and I like hard cases,and you're the most confounding hard case I ever met.If you were a woman I'd marry ya.Although,in this day and age,there's no reason we couldn't.Wanna go to Vermont?" 

Oh,how he wished he could just put him through a wall.Any wall.An adamantium one would be preferred,but a concrete one would do if he had to settle."I didn't mean mutants and I didn't mean me,smart ass,and you know it.I meant people.Let's cut the shit here-you're some kind of demon god,right?You could push people around all day,you could rule the fucking world if you wanted to,so why don't you?" 

Bob leaned on the edge of the dresser as he put on his shoes.In keeping with the surfer theme,he had traded his biker boots for a pair of cheap flip flops."Do you want to rule the world,Logan?" 

"Hell-" 

"-no,which is my answer too.The world is too much bother.People who want to rule it should;their heads would explode in under a month.It is a big,complicated,messy place,and those delusional would be despots always seem to forget the place of entropy in human lives and behavior. Also, when would I have time to surf?Chill at the bar?Make people see UFO's?Save the world?I simply can't have a schedule packed that full." 

Logan grunted noncommittally and opened the door to leave.Sometimes there was no getting a serious answer out of Bob either.Full of shit indeed. 

Bob suddenly laughed,making Logan look back at him curiously."Jean thinks I'm Loki?"He said,then laughed again,as if that was genuinely hilarious. 

"Off the mark?"He didn't expect Bob to tell him the truth.Jean could have been right. 

"Way.Don't get me wrong,Loki's a friend of mine,and he's a blast at parties,but he's as ugly as a shaved platypus,his hair is living flame,and he constantly smells of sulfur.And sometimes he can be downright juvenile.I mean,how many times can you see a guy fart fire before it's not funny anymore?My calculation was five." 

Logan didn't know what to say,so he simply stared at him."And you expect me to believe this?" 

Bob shrugged,finished slipping on his flip flops,and started searching for his ubiquitous sunglasses."Nah.Free will-believe what you want.But trust me,if push came to shove,I could kick Loki's ass.He's got the chaos and flame thing,but that's about it.And what good is a shapeshifter who always smells like a snuffed match?" 

Well,he had to give him that.Like everyone here seemed to find Mystique a big scary hoo haa threat,but he didn't,because no matter what shape she took,she always smelled the same. Maybe if they could smell her they wouldn't be bothered. 

"Hey,Logan,before you storm out in a huff,can I tell you something?" 

He frowned at him."You have been telling me things." 

"Yes,but this is borrowed wisdom I can't take credit for.Ah,here they are."He found his sunglasses on the nightstand,next to the lamp.And when he put them on,Logan did a slight double take,as the formerly messy bed was perfectly made now.It had been messy when he came in,right?"A great Buddhist monk,Thich Nhat Hanh,once said,"Even as they strike you down, you will remember: humanity is not our enemy. The only thing worthy of you is compassion.Hatred will never let you face the beast in human beings. One day, when you face the beast alone, with your courage intact,your eyes kind... out of your smile will bloom a flower.And on the long, rough road,the sun and the moon will continue to shine."  " 

Logan continued to stare at him."What the fuck does that mean?And what's it have to do with anything?" 

"I just thought it was something you might want to keep in mind.Yes,humans seem to react towards mutants with scorn,fear,and hatred-not all of them,mind you,but I hardly need to tell you that,do I?But have pity on them,Logan,'cause if there's one thing I know,cul de sac evolutionary niches have a tendency to die out." 

"What the hell does that mean?"He replied,brows drawing down low over his eyes. 

Bob donned his mirrored shades,but he was no longer smiling."Humans used to be the future.Now mutants are.Do the math." 

He loved the way Bob just threw these things at him  with no preamble-he loved to keep people off balance,didn't he?Or maybe he just liked to keep him off balance."Are you saying humans-the non mutant variety-are dying out?" 

"Not yet.But probably in your lifetime and mine."Logan understood the implication that that meant not in anyone else's lifetime-Xavier's,Scott's,Jean's-but theirs.Because they both seemed doomed to live too fucking long.Did he know how long? 

He almost asked,but decided not to,because Bob probably wouldn't give him a straight answer.  
"And sometimes the losing side cheats and plays really dirty,"Bob added."It's the "If I'm going to die I'm taking you all with me" school of philosophy.A popular one,that." 

"What exactly are you saying?" 

"Things are bound to get uglier before they get better.But have some sympathy for these misguided people,because the battle was pretty much over the moment it began.The world-no matter which one-can be a pretty shitty place." 

Logan leaned against the door,so very tired of Bob and all his cryptic shit."Just tell me what's gonna happen." 

Bob shook his head,and grabbed a duffel bag from the chair in the corner,shouldering it in a manner that suggested it was heavy."I can't see the future,mate.But like you I can kinda catch shapes on the wind.And it all looks kinda gloomy.Don't you think so?" 

Logan was forced to agree.Fallout was still occurring from the church Scott blew up while under the Organization's control,and it seemed every accident,every act of violence and crime,was being blamed on a mutant,no matter how mundane the act,no matter baseless the accusation.If the Organization's goal was to make life that much harder for mutants,they had succeeded brilliantly.He expected that mutant 'registration' law might actually pass on the next go round through the Senate. 

"But I can tell you it'll all work out in the end,"Bob said,trying to sound upbeat and chipper. 

Logan scoffed,shaking his head and rolling his eyes."How can you say that if you don't know-" 

But when he looked back,Bob was gone. 

Son of a bitch.And he accused him of having drama queen tendencies. 

Logan went to the drawer,just out of curiosity,and opened it.It was empty. 

He really had to stop being shocked by anything Bob did.It was starting to get silly.The good part was Helga was probably gone too,so more of her tail groping him in front of other people."You're an asshole,you know that?"He said to thin air,figuring Bob could hear that if he really wanted to. And Logan felt he was an expert in assholes,because he was a world class one himself.But even he couldn't compare to Bob. 

He left his room,headed back towards his own.He was restless,unsettled,and decided he'd head out for a beer and let the future take care of itself. 

No matter what shit hit the fan next,he had a feeling they wouldn't really be prepared for it. 

The End 


End file.
